Osama Bin Laden was 'buried at sea' at 2 AM ET
Details of the firefight that killed Osama Bin Laden have emerged.
He was just 'buried at sea' a couple of hours ago -- in accordance with Islamic practice. Hopefully the U.S. releases pictures and video soon because the crazies won't be getting any sleep!
Bin Laden also lived in a $1 million mansion! Sheesh - for 10 years or so we've been joking that he's been living in a cave.
From ABC News:
He had long been said to be in the mountainous region along the Afghanistan, Pakistan border, hiding in a cave as the U.S. sought to kill him with drone strikes from above. Instead, he was in a house eight times larger than its neighbors, with walls more than 12 feet tall and valued at $1 million. The house had no phone or television and the residents burned their trash.According to U.S. officials, two U.S. helicopters flew in low from Afghanistan and swept into the compound at 1:30 and 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning. Twenty to 25 U.S. Navy Seals under the command of the Joint Special Operations Command in cooperation with the CIA stormed the compound and engaged Bin Laden and his men in a firefight, killed Bin Laden and all those with him.
Two Bin Laden couriers were killed, as was one of Osama Bin Laden's son, as was a woman reportedly used as a shield by one of the men. Other women and children were present in the compound, according to Pakistani officials, but were not harmed. U.S. officials said that Bin Laden himself fired his weapon during the fight, and that he was asked to surrender but did not.
One of the U.S. helicopters, a CH47 Chinook, was damaged but not destroyed during the operation, and U.S. forces elected to destroy it themselves with explosives. The operation took 40 minutes, much of it spent searching the residence for intelligence.
The Americans took Bin Laden's body into custody after the firefight, taking it back to Afghanistan by helicopter, and confirmed his identity. A U.S. official said he was buried at sea at 2 a.m., Washington D.C. time, in accordance with Islamic practice.
From CNN, bonus video of the mansion on fire:
From ABC, video of bloody compound:
