Politics
Details of the Osama bin Laden raid
Updated: 2011-05-04 06:40
(Agencies)
WASHINGTON - White House press secretary Jay Carney provided the following official narrative on Tuesday of the killing of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan:
* On orders of the president, a small US team assaulted a secure compound in an affluent suburb of Islamabad to capture or kill Osama bin Laden.
* In addition to the bin Laden family, two other families resided in the compound: one family on the first floor of the bin Laden building and one family in a second building. One team began the operation on the first floor of the bin Laden house and worked their way to the third floor; a second team cleared the separate building.
* On the first floor of bin Laden's building, two al-Qaida couriers were killed along with a woman who was killed in cross-fire. Bin Laden and his family were found on the second and third floor of the building. There was concern bin Laden would oppose the capture operation and indeed he resisted.
* In the room with bin Laden, a women - bin Laden's wife - rushed the US commando and was shot in the leg but not killed. Bin Laden was then shot and killed. He was not armed.
* Following the firefight, the noncombatants were moved to a safe location as one helicopter that had mechanical problems as it approached the compound was destroyed by the commandos.
* A third helicopter flew in to replace the destroyed one, and the team departed via the helicopters to the USS Carl Vinson in the North Arabian Sea.
* Aboard the USS Carl Vinson, the burial of bin Laden was done in conformance with Islamic precepts and practices.
The deceased's body was washed and then placed in a white sheet. The body was placed in a weighted bag; a military officer read prepared religious remarks, which were translated into Arabic by a native speaker. After the words were complete, the body was placed on a prepared flat board, tipped up, and the deceased body eased into the sea.
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