On May 1st, news of Osama Bin Laden’s death spread across the globe. Navy SEALs Team Six had stormed Osama Bin Laden’s compound, killed the terrorist leader’s henchmen, then shot the 9/11 mastermind after a 45 minute gunfight. But a new book by former SEAL Team Six commander Chuck Pfarrer, “Seal Target Geronimo,” is contradicting a few key facts about the raid.
Pfarrer was with SEAL Team Six in the 80s and did not participate in the raid. His book, however, is the first to include first person interviews with members of the team that took out Bin Laden.
Here are some of the key details that Pfarrer’s book calls into question.
The Point of Entrance – Navy SEAL Team Six supposedly entered Bin Laden’s compound by foot after landing two Blackhawk helicopters nearby.The Atlantic Wire reports that SEAL Team Six actually entered the compound from the third floor after descending from a helicopter.
Helicopter Crash – The initial reports also said that one of the Blackhawk helicopters crashed before the raid. Pfarrer says that this isn’t true. One helicopter, Razor 1, dropped soldiers down onto the roof of the compound while the other helicopter, Razor 2, assumed a hovering position nearby as snipers watched the compound.
Razor 2 did crash but it wasn’t until after the mission had been completed.
Famous Photo – The photo of President Obama and his security team inside the White Situation room was apparently taken when the Razor 2 helicopter crashed.
A Firefight – According to a book review by the Telegraph, SEAL Team Six only fired 12 bullets during the raid on Osama Bin Laden’s compound. The team reportedly killed Bin Laden within 90 seconds of entering the compound and the whole operation lasted only 38 minutes. Reports of a drawn out gun battle are false, according to Pfarrer.
Human Shields – According to Pfarrer’s book, Osama Bin Laden did use his wife as a shield. The Telegraph reports that Osama held his youngest wife Amal in front of her when soldiers entered his room. Amal was shot once in the leg. Osama then reached for a gun and was shot twice.
Unarmed – Osama Bin Laden was unarmed when he was killed. Pfarrer writes: “He was not carrying it, however; it was lying by the headboard. When he saw the SEALs, he lunged to grab it.”
Do any of the revelations revealed in Pfarrer’s book about Bin Laden’s death surprise you?
