Operation was designed to kill bin Laden, source says

-

(CNN) -- The operation that killed Osama bin Laden was designed to do just that, not to take him alive, a U.S. government official told CNN Monday.

DNA matching is under way on samples from the body of the slain terrorist leader, the official said. There are photographs of the body with a gunshot wound to the side of the head that shows an individual who is not unrecognizable as bin Laden, the official said.

No decision has yet been made on whether to release the photographs and if so, when and how.

The mastermind of the worst terrorist attacks on American soil was killed by U.S. forces Monday in a mansion in Abbottabad, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, U.S. officials said.

Four others in the compound also were killed. One of them was bin Laden's adult son, and another was a woman being used as a shield by a male combatant, the officials said.

Bin Laden's body was later buried at sea, an official said. Many Muslims adhere to the belief that bodies should be buried within one day.

The official did not release additional details about the burial, but said it was handled in keeping with Muslim customs.

The death of the founder and leader of al Qaeda comes almost 10 years after the September 11, 2001, attacks that killed about 3,000 people.

Terrorists "almost certainly will attempt to avenge" the death of Osama bin Laden, CIA Director Leon Panetta said in a message sent to agency employees.

In an address to the nation Sunday night, U.S. President Barack Obama called bin Laden's death "the most significant achievement to date in our nation's effort to defeat al Qaeda." Washington is nine hours behind Pakistan.

A congressional source familiar with the operation said bin Laden was shot in the head.

The killing of bin Laden was the culmination of years of intelligence work and months of following a specific lead, senior U.S. administration officials said.

The key break involved one of the few couriers trusted by bin Laden, according to the officials. About two years ago, intelligence work identified where the courier and his brother lived and operated in Pakistan, and it took until August to find the compound in Abbottabad that was raided, they said.

According to the senior administration officials, intelligence work determined at the beginning of 2011 that bin Laden might be located at the compound.

Obama chaired five National Security Council meetings from mid-March until late April, with the last two on April 19 and April 28 -- last Thursday.

On Friday morning -- even as he visited Alabama's tornado-ravaged areas -- Obama gave the order for the mission, the officials said.

Senior Obama administration officials believe the compound was built five years ago for the specific purpose of hiding bin Laden. U.S. forces carried out several so-called "practice runs" in order to minimize casualties.

Footage that aired Monday on CNN affiliate GEO TV showed fire and smoke spewing from the compound where bin Laden was killed.

One resident in the city of Lahore said Monday she was stunned to hear bin Laden was in the country.

"But was it really him?" the woman said.

A senior national security official told CNN that officials had multiple confirmations that the body was bin Laden's, saying they had the "ability to run images of the body and the face."

A resident in Abbottabad, who did not want to be fully identified, said he was wary of making any personal statements or giving his reaction to the news. But he said the house where bin Laden allegedly was killed has been occupied by many people for the past five years.

Half a world away, the scene outside the White House was one of pure jubilation.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Arrest made in connection with Texas wildfire

-
Image
(CNN) -- Texas authorities have made an arrest in connection with one of hundreds of blazes scorching the state in what a forest service official called the "perfect storm for wildfires." A man has been arrested and charged with reckless endangerment, which is a felony under Texas law, Austin Fire Department Battalion Chief Palmer Buck said early Monday. The man, who authorities have not yet identified, is being held under a $50,000 bond. According to Buck, the man started a campfire at a homeless camp in a remote area, which got out of control and prompted evacuations. The fire has burned about 60 acres and raised concerns as it crept near 100 homes, 10 businesses and Austin Community College. Firefighters are battling some of the driest conditions Texas has seen in nearly a century. April Saginor, a spokeswoman with the Texas Forest Service, said crews were having difficulty getting hundreds of blazes under control due to a rare combination of strong winds, unseas...
Read more

Toddler shoots mom dead, boy's father tells Florida police

-
Image
(CNN) -- A toddler shot and killed his mother, the boy's father told South Florida police, who say they will talk to the 2-1/2-year-old. The father, who called 911, told police he was trying to take the firearm away from the child when it discharged. The boy's mother -- Julia Bennett, 33 -- was shot once in the back and died from the injury, said Miramar Police spokeswoman Tania Rues. "What we do know is that last Wednesday, shortly after 7 o'clock, we received a 911 call from a gentleman stating that his 2-1/2-year-old son accidentally shot his mother -- the boy's mother," Rues told HLN's Vinnie Politan. Rues said investigators will talk to the toddler about the shooting, but that "due to the age, we're not expecting to get much." The boy's father has not been identified by police. They said he has cooperated fully with the investigation, which started with a 911 call he placed on April 20. In that roughly 4-1/2-minute ca...
Read more

Rare fungal infection strikes Joplin, Missouri, tornado victims

-
Image
(CNN) -- Eight people injured by the devastating Joplin, Missouri, tornado have contracted a rare fungal infection, and three have died, officials said Friday. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is assisting state and local health officials, who are investigating the cases. All three individuals who died had serious injuries, as well as fungus, Jasper County Coroner Rob Chappel said. One of the deaths was caused by the infection, called mucormycosis, but the cause of death for the other two victims has not been determined, he said. All eight patients sustained multiple injuries and secondary wound infections, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. The infection can occur when dirt, vegetation or other material becomes lodged under the skin. The death toll from the May tornado stood at 151 on Friday. CDC researcher Dr. Benjamin Park told CNN that in most cases, people with weakened immune systems inhale spores and develop sinus...
Read more