Raid to kill Laden in Pak was planned to minimize collateral damage: US officials
May 2nd, 2011 - 1:56 pm ICT by ANIWashington, May 2(ANI): The US operation to find and kill Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday was planned as an elite strike by a small team to minimize any collateral damage or death in the area, officials have revealed.
According to CBS News, the team went on board two Black Hawk helicopters.
“It was a military team of about two dozen, but they were operating under the authority of Leon Panetta, the CIA Director, since the US military does not have authority to operate in Pakistan. A second team of about two dozen orbited out of sight in case they were needed,” the officials said.
They also said that US troops were at the compound for less than 40 minutes.
“Laden did not go peacefully. He resisted arrest and was killed in a firefight as US troops entered the compound,” the officials said.
The officials also revealed that none of the specific intelligence resulting in the raid was shared with any other country, and only a “very small group of people” inside the Obama administration knew it was to happen.
The Pakistan government was notified after the operation was over, officials say. (ANI)
- TTP says Osama bin Laden alive - May 02, 2011
- Osama death: Pak says raid 'in accordance with declared US policy' - May 02, 2011
- Musharraf says he would not have allowed US operation to kill Osama - May 02, 2011
- Osama's wife says family was living at Abbottabad compound since 2005: Source - May 04, 2011
- Memo documents Obama's order to get Osama - Apr 27, 2012
- US revises story of Osama's killing; says he was not armed - May 04, 2011
- Pak fires back at CIA chief's damning indictment of ISI double game - May 04, 2011
- Pakistan would have jeopardised Osama raid: CIA chief - May 04, 2011
- Sharing intel with ISI would have jeopardised 'Operation Geronimo': CIA chief - May 04, 2011
- Inside information led to shootout at Laden's Pak fortress - May 02, 2011
- CIA "exploited intelligence leads" given by ISI to reach bin Laden: Pak FO - May 04, 2011
- ISI arrested CIA informants in Osama raid: NYT - Jun 15, 2011
- US hardens stance against 'ally' Pakistan after Osama killing (Lead) - May 04, 2011
- Highlights of Obama's speech - May 02, 2011
- Someone in Pakistan knew about bin Laden's hideout: Panetta - Jan 28, 2012
Tags: abbottabad, al qaeda, black hawk, cbs, cbs news, cia director, collateral damage, elite strike, firefight, hawk, hawk helicopters, khyber, leon panetta, military team, osama bin laden, out of sight, pakistan government, qaeda leader, small group, us military