Massive Leak to AP Reveals Details of Osama Bin Laden Raid
Jason A. Staples
I wonder how much the AP paid these songbirds to leak these details.
Adding exclusive new details to the account of the assault on bin Laden’s hideout, officials described just how the SEAL raiders loudly ditched a foundering helicopter right outside bin Laden’s door, ruining the plan for a surprise assault. That forced them to abandon plans to run a squeeze play on bin Laden — simultaneously entering the house stealthily from the roof and the ground floor. …
The raiders came face-to-face with bin Laden in a hallway outside his bedroom, and three of the Americans stormed in after him, U.S. officials briefed on the operation told The Associated Press. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to describe a classified operation.
Get to the choppa!
Apparently temperatures 17* hotter than anticipated are what led to the stealth helicopter crash (hotter weather means thinner air, reducing a helicopter’s lift).
The plan unraveled as the first helicopter tried to hover over the compound. The Black Hawk skittered around uncontrollably in the heat-thinned air, forcing the pilot to land. As he did, the tail and rotor got caught on one of the compound’s 12-foot walls. The pilot quickly buried the aircraft’s nose in the dirt to keep it from tipping over, and the SEALs clambered out into an outer courtyard.
Also somewhat interesting: Obama himself doesn’t know (and hasn’t asked) who took the shot that killed Bin Laden.
