How SEAL Team Took Down Osama bin Laden (Minute by Minute) — Transcript

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1. 0:00For almost ten years, the United States had been tirelessly searching for one man - Osama
2. 0:04Bin Laden, the terrorist mastermind behind the September 11th attacks that killed almost
3. 0:08three thousand Americans and triggered a war that was still raging today - May 2nd, 2011.
4. 0:15While the United States had toppled the Taliban, the government that was sheltering Bin Laden
5. 0:18at the time of the attacks, they had never been able to capture or kill the man.
6. 0:22That was about to change.
7. 0:23The CIA had been searching for Bin Laden’s secret base for years with no luck.
8. 0:27He had managed to escape from Afghanistan, which was under US occupation, and travel
9. 0:32to the neighboring country of Pakistan.
10. 0:34But in the mountainous, rural regions of Pakistan, with little government oversight, it was easy
11. 0:38for him to stay under the radar.
12. 0:39The government had been looking for leads for years, but finally got their break in
13. 0:432010, when their leads led them to a compound in Abbottabad.
14. 0:47They began taking surveillance footage of the compound, and determining the best way
15. 0:50to breach it.
16. 0:51What followed was one of the trickiest intelligence-gathering operations in US history.
17. 0:55The compound was heavily guarded and in enemy territory.
18. 0:59The US had to rely heavily on local help to gather intelligence, and over a period of
19. 1:03months they spied on the three-story building.
20. 1:06They learned every detail about the building, but a lot was still missing.
21. 1:09For one thing, the infamous terror leader was incredibly secretive - so secretive, that
22. 1:13they were never able to capture an image of him coming in or out of the building.
23. 1:17So everything was still circumstantial, but after an extended period of time, they were
24. 1:21able to conclude that this was were Osama Bin Laden.
25. 1:24Now it was time to take action.
26. 1:25It was April 29th when President Obama was briefed on the details of the operation.
27. 1:31Many within his security team were skeptical about the operation - after all, if it went
28. 1:35wrong, top US troops would either be killed or remain trapped behind enemy lines.
29. 1:39Not only would this be a disastrous loss of life, but it would potentially expose many
30. 1:43of the US’ biggest secrets if they were interrogated and forced to reveal classified
31. 1:47information.
32. 1:48And with the doubts that Bin Laden truly in the compound, many didn’t feel it was worth
33. 1:52the risk.
34. 1:53Ultimately, the President disagreed - and he gave the okay to the operation that would
35. 1:57become Operation Neptune Spear.
36. 1:59And the people carrying it out would be the best of the best.
37. 2:02Meet Seal Team 6.
38. 2:04An elite squadron of the highly-trained Navy Seals, they answer directly to the Joint Special
39. 2:08Operations Command and carry out some of the most highly classified operations the US government
40. 2:13is involved with.
41. 2:14These include hostage rescue, special espionage missions, counterterrorism, targeting of enemy
42. 2:19infrastructure, and direct action against the deadliest of US enemies - like Osama Bin
43. 2:23Laden.
44. 2:24They would be briefed on the mission, which would be classified as capture-or-kill.
45. 2:28Officially, the US has the policy of never killing an enemy who has already surrendered
46. 2:32- but no one involved in the mission had any delusion that Osama Bin Laden would ever surrender.
47. 2:37And to pull this all off they had to implement some risky strategies.
48. 2:41The planning had been going on for the better part of a year, since the intelligence reports
49. 2:45started coming in, and many strategies had been considered.
50. 2:48The easiest would have been a joint operation with Pakistani military forces - but the Pakistani
51. 2:53government wasn’t exactly friendly and the US was worried that Bin Laden could be tipped
52. 2:57off in advance.
53. 2:58The US also considered striking at the compound with stealth bombers, which could atomize
54. 3:02Bin Laden - but there would be no way of following up to ensure he was already dead, and the
55. 3:06tricky terror leader had managed to escape US operations before.
56. 3:09So instead, the government decided to go old-school.
57. 3:13Seal Team 6 would be flown in using modified Black Hawk helicopters that were designed
58. 3:17to be quiet and would be able to fly in under enemy radar.
59. 3:20The Pakistani military had been heavily trained and supplied by US advisors, so their capabilities
60. 3:25were known - and the US was confident they could get around them.
61. 3:28The goal was to get to the compound without being detected or challenged by the Pakistani
62. 3:32forces - and once the target was down, they would be able to beat a hasty retreat.
63. 3:37May 1st, 1:22 PM.
64. 3:39Defense Secretary Leon Panetta received the word from the President, and directed Admiral
65. 3:44William McRaven to move ahead with the operation.
66. 3:47Within the next two hours, President Obama and his national security team would move
67. 3:50to the Situation Room to watch the whole thing unfold over night-vision images transmitted
68. 3:55to them from a drone.
69. 3:56The roughly 24 Navy SEALS sent on the mission would temporarily be transferred to the control
70. 4:01of the CIA, so it would technically not be a military mission and would not be classified
71. 4:06as an act of war.
72. 4:07These were going to be some of the most critical minutes in the US’ modern history - and
73. 4:11for the men on the ground, every single minute would count.
74. 4:14While the roughly two dozen SEALs were the ones who would breach the compound, there
75. 4:17were 79 commandos and a dog involved in the raid.
76. 4:20The dog, a Belgian Malinois named Cairo, was there to alert the SEALs to any sudden activity
77. 4:25- including the Pakistani military approaching the compound, or anyone trying to escape.
78. 4:29The core team was backed up by a dog handler, interpreters, pilots, intelligence agents,
79. 4:34and tech experts who would make it all possible.
80. 4:36But the success or failure of the mission would hinge on the men entering the compound.
81. 4:40And one wrong move could spell doom.
82. 4:433:30 AM - give or take.
83. 4:45Two helicopters descend on the Abbottabad compound.
84. 4:47While the other helicopters stand by in case they’re needed, these two will carry out
85. 4:51the primary mission.
86. 4:52Flying low to the ground, the stealthy Black Hawk helicopters hover over the compound grounds.
87. 4:56While the first deploys ropes to lower its team to the ground, the other heads to the
88. 5:00far northeast corner to covertly drop off its interpreter, dog, handler, and four SEALs.
89. 5:05If everything went smoothly, they would soon be at the compound.
90. 5:08But everything didn’t go smoothly.
91. 5:10While the helicopters weren’t detected and they didn’t come under hostile fire, mother
92. 5:13nature had something to say.
93. 5:15The first helicopter flew into what’s known as a vortex ring state - an air phenomenon
94. 5:19caused by higher-than-expected temperatures creating an air vortex.
95. 5:22The rotor’s air pressure didn’t diffuse properly, the helicopter was knocked off balance,
96. 5:26and it grazed the back of the compound wall.
97. 5:29The tail rotor was seriously damaged, and the helicopter started rolling over.
98. 5:33The quick-thinking pilot drove the helicopter into the ground nose-first, preventing a total
99. 5:37collapse, and the SEALs and crew were able to escape unscathed after a rough landing.
100. 5:42Now the only question was - had this blown their secret mission?
101. 5:46The answer seemed to be no, as there was no sign of aggression from the compound.
102. 5:49The SEALs had successfully weathered a crash landing without being detected, the helicopter
103. 5:54was secure against the compound walls, and the other helicopter had landed safely outside
104. 5:58the compound.
105. 5:59The rest of the team was scaling the walls, and the whole team was reunited.
106. 6:02The next step was breaching the compound - and that’s where the SEALs’ explosives team
107. 6:06came in.
108. 6:07They needed to get in quickly and hit the people inside with shock and awe.
109. 6:10Outside, preparation was key - but once they were inside, every second would count.
110. 6:14Ten years of searching had come down to this.
111. 6:173:33 AM - To get through the security, the SEALs used portable explosives to blow open
112. 6:22the doors of the compound’s guest house, one by one.
113. 6:25They breached the compound and began storming up the stairs.
114. 6:28The first room they encountered on the first floor contained two adult males - but none
115. 6:32of them was Osama bin Laden.
116. 6:33They were detained, but they weren’t the target.
117. 6:35More disturbing - every floor seemed to contain small groups of children.
118. 6:39This wasn’t just a terrorist compound - it was a home where the terrorists kept their
119. 6:42families, regardless of all the danger they were putting them in.
120. 6:45And with every floor the SEALs ascended, the danger would escalate.
121. 6:493:35 - What happened next?
122. 6:51Reports of that may vary.
123. 6:52As they reached the second floor, they encountered more resistance.
124. 6:55This is where Bin Laden’s courier, Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti, was found - and SEAL Mark Owen
125. 7:00would controversially write a book on the firefight.
126. 7:03He claimed that al-Kuwaiti was armed and fired on the SEALs.
127. 7:06While one SEAL was lightly injured, they returned fire and killed the evil courier.
128. 7:09However, intelligence sources later said that the SEALs were able to get the drop on the
129. 7:13man after cutting power to the compound and eliminated him without him fighting back.
130. 7:17What was clear was that they still hadn’t encountered the man himself.
131. 7:213:37 - It was time to ascend once again, and the resistance became fiercer the further
132. 7:26the SEALs headed into the house.
133. 7:27They had encountered the courier, as well as his brother and wife, and all enemies had
134. 7:31either been killed or captured.
135. 7:33As they ascended the staircase, they encountered another enemy - and this one provided a glimmer
136. 7:37of hope.
137. 7:38After the Al Qaeda soldier was killed, the SEALs identified him as a son of Osama Bin
138. 7:42Laden - one of the terror leader’s many progenies who followed in his footsteps.
139. 7:46And if he was there, the odds were good his father wasn’t far away.
140. 7:503:39 - There was only one floor left to be breached, the third - and the SEALs were steeling
141. 7:55themselves for yet another disappointment.
142. 7:57This was clearly a high-level Al Qaeda compound, but Bin Laden had been notorious for staying
143. 8:01one step ahead of his pursuers, and he could be far away by now.
144. 8:04But as they breached the third floor, it became clear this time was different.
145. 8:08In the third floor’s main room was Osama Bin Laden - seemingly unarmed and wearing
146. 8:12the loose-fitting tunic he was usually seen wearing in his many propaganda videos.
147. 8:16The SEALs got their first glimpse of him as he stuck his head out of the bedroom…
148. 8:20And they didn’t miss their opportunity.
149. 8:22They immediately fired, wounding him.
150. 8:24However, he was able to retreat back into the bedroom, and the SEALs pursued.
151. 8:28The room was revealed to contain many of Bin Laden’s female relatives, including several
152. 8:32of his wives.
153. 8:33One approached the SEALs, as if she was charging - and the SEALs quickly shot her to wound,
154. 8:37grabbing her and advancing further towards the terror leader.
155. 8:40Osama Bin Laden had nowhere left to run, and America’s most skilled soldiers were right
156. 8:44outside his door.
157. 8:45What happened next?
158. 8:47Reports vary.
159. 8:48Matt Bissonnette, one of the SEALs on site, claims that Bin Laden had been mortally wounded
160. 8:51by the initial shots as they approached.
161. 8:54His wives were trying to protect him, and the SEALs were forced to act as any one of
162. 8:57them could have an explosive device.
163. 8:59But when they pushed past them, they found Bin Laden on the ground, mortally wounded.
164. 9:03As he moved, they fired multiple shots and neutralized the terror leader for good.
165. 9:07But another SEAL had a very different story.
166. 9:09Robert J. O’Neill would become one of the first SEALs to identify himself as one of
167. 9:13the men on the mission, and had a much more dramatic recollection of the events.
168. 9:17In his retelling, Osama bin Laden might have been wounded, but he was far from neutralized.
169. 9:22In fact, he was strong enough to grab one of the women in the room and hide behind her,
170. 9:26using her as a human shield.
171. 9:27As bin Laden pushed the hapless woman towards the SEALs, O’Neill quickly fired two shots
172. 9:32directly into bin Laden’s forehead and killed him.
173. 9:34Which report was accurate?
174. 9:35The Navy after-action report favors Bissonnette’s retelling.
175. 9:39And just like that, one of the most notorious enemies of the United States was no more.
176. 9:44The SEAL team radioed back “For God and country - Geronimo, Geronimo, Geronimo”
177. 9:48- officially confirming that the enemy had been killed in action.
178. 9:51The entire affair had taken less than fifteen minutes from landing to the elimination of
179. 9:55Osama bin Laden, one of the most efficient operations in US military history - and it
180. 9:59had been completed without a single death or serious injury to the entire Navy SEAL
181. 10:03team.
182. 10:04Watching from the situation room, President Obama uttered the words the entire White House
183. 10:08team had been waiting to hear - “We got him.”
184. 10:10But the mission wasn’t over just yet.
185. 10:133:55 - The SEAL team members quickly sprung into action, securing bin Laden’s body and
186. 10:17moving it downstairs.
187. 10:18They would be exiting shortly, but there was still some extensive cleanup work to do.
188. 10:22The compound might be a source of vital intelligence, and they thoroughly searched the room and
189. 10:26surrounding area.
190. 10:27They found two weapons in the room - an assault rifle and a pistol - but the efficient team
191. 10:31had managed to neutralize bin Laden before he could reach them.
192. 10:34They weren’t loaded - indicating that the Al Qaeda leader was not expecting a firefight.
193. 10:38But what to do about the other residents?
194. 10:40Almost everyone who had engaged the US troops with weapons had been killed, but the compound
195. 10:44was full of civilians.
196. 10:45The US had no desire to take all the women and children found there into custody, so
197. 10:49they non-violently restrained them and left them outside the compound to be found by Pakistani
198. 10:54forces.
199. 10:55Most didn’t put up any resistance - besides the injured wife of Bin Laden, Amal Ahmed
200. 10:59Abdul Fatah.
201. 11:00She berated the SEALs in Arabic for the entire duration of the clean-up mission, and it seemed
202. 11:05the Yemeni woman was a true believer in her late husband’s mission.
203. 11:08She, like most of the people found there, would eventually be deported from Pakistan
204. 11:11back to their home countries in the Middle East.
205. 11:13And now, it was time to make a clean getaway.
206. 11:164:05 - Bin Laden’s body and every important piece of intelligence or evidence had been
207. 11:21secured.
208. 11:22Taking what they needed, the first helicopter was loaded and primed for takeoff.
209. 11:25Much like the landing, this was a low take-off to avoid detection.
210. 11:28For those back in the United States, the SEALs were heroes - but this was an unauthorized
211. 11:32mission, and it was unlikely the Pakistani forces would be grateful if they were caught
212. 11:36there.
213. 11:37But much like the first time, SEAL Team Six pulled off a perfect getaway and exited the
214. 11:40compound.
215. 11:41But there was one more matter to attend to.
216. 11:434:08 - The damaged Black Hawk helicopter that crashed in the compound would not be leaving
217. 11:48through the sky and Pakistani forces would be there shortly.
218. 11:51The chopper contained vital information about US military capabilities - because it wasn’t
219. 11:55just a standard helicopter and had been outfitted with stealth features.
220. 11:59So before they departed, the troops used the same portable explosives like the ones they
221. 12:03had used to breach the compound - and gave their fallen chopper an explosive send-off.
222. 12:07This only took minutes, and soon one of the backup helicopters brought on the mission
223. 12:10arrived, scooped up the remaining Navy SEALs, and flew them off to join the first helicopter.
224. 12:15The mission was over - and now it was time for a long ride.
225. 12:185:53 - The ride back was over an hour and a half - more than three times the length
226. 12:23of the mission that killed Osama bin Laden.
227. 12:25But now that it was over, they had to get back to safe territory - back in US-occupied
228. 12:29Afghanistan, where the Americans had been fighting since the days after the September
229. 12:3311th terror attacks.
230. 12:34While it was unlikely the Pakistanis would fire on a US chopper if it was detected, a
231. 12:39stealthy escape would go much smoother, so the US troops had used some disinformation
232. 12:43efforts.
233. 12:44As the various explosions led to crowds before takeoff, an Urdu-speaking American military
234. 12:48officer claimed it had been a Pakistani operation being carried at the compound and to keep
235. 12:53their distance.
236. 12:54It worked, and the American landed safely at Bagram Airfield - carrying the body of
237. 12:58Osama Bin Laden.
238. 12:59Now it was time to deal with the aftermath.
239. 13:027:01 - Back at the White House, the celebration was tempered by one question - was it really
240. 13:07him?
241. 13:08Bin Laden was infamous for using body doubles, and there had been multiple times where it
242. 13:11was thought he had been killed only for it to turn out to be a feint.
243. 13:14So everyone waited anxiously for the results of preliminary examinations of the corpse
244. 13:18- and over an hour after the SEALs arrived in Afghanistan, a new report came in indicating
245. 13:22that the notorious rogue was actually dead.
246. 13:25This time, the United States had gotten their man.
247. 13:28And the American public was about to find out.
248. 13:30It was the evening of May 1st when word started going around that the President was going
249. 13:34to be making a speech on TV that night.
250. 13:36Usually, when Barack Obama made a planned speech, it was early in the evening during
251. 13:40prime time - often to the annoyance of everyone who was trying to watch their favorite TV
252. 13:44show.
253. 13:45But this unplanned speech on short notice was different - and political watchers kept
254. 13:48waiting until the President ascended the podium at less than half an hour to midnight.
255. 13:53And as soon as he opened his mouth, people knew this was big.
256. 13:5611:35 - “Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States
257. 14:01has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of Al Qaeda and a terrorist
258. 14:06who’s responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children.”
259. 14:10As the President paid tribute to the many who had died in bin Laden’s terror attacks,
260. 14:14a spontaneous celebration erupted around the country.
261. 14:16It was just short of ten years since the September 11th terror attacks, and many Americans lived
262. 14:21in fear of the next attack.
263. 14:23As word got around, large groups of fans attending sports games screamed in joy.
264. 14:27Democrats exulted in the biggest foreign policy win of the Obama Presidency - and Republicans
265. 14:32celebrated the end of an enemy while wondering if they should even bother running against
266. 14:36him next year!
267. 14:37And there was only one thing left to do.
268. 14:4012:59 - It was a little over an hour after President Obama’s speech, and the troops
269. 14:44had one major piece of business left to attend to - what to do with Osama bin Laden’s body?
270. 14:49The terror leader had been fully tested and examined, and they were sure he was their
271. 14:53guy.
272. 14:54He had been checked for any vital intel, and the body had no more secrets to give up.
273. 14:57The only thing left to do was dispose of the body, but there was one problem with that.
274. 15:01No one wanted him!
275. 15:03Bin Laden was wanted in just about every country on the planet, and even the countries where
276. 15:07he had sought refuge - Pakistan and Afghanistan - considered him an outlaw.
277. 15:11No country would want to give him a grave, because it would be a massive target for radical
278. 15:15activity.
279. 15:16No one wants to have an Al Qaeda pilgrimage in your country every year.
280. 15:19So why not just cremate his body and be done with it?
281. 15:22Cremation is against Islamic tradition, and as hated as the terror leader was, the government
282. 15:26still wanted to respect his faith.
283. 15:28No need to anger his followers any more than they already were - given that their leader
284. 15:32had just been eliminated.
285. 15:33Fortunately, there was an alternative.
286. 15:35Bin Laden’s body was loaded on the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson, and the US government
287. 15:40called the government of Saudi Arabia for approval to dispose of the body.
288. 15:43He was a Saudi citizen, after all, and the Saudis were important allies of the US government
289. 15:47at the time.
290. 15:48And the Saudi response was - we don’t care what you do with him, just don’t make it
291. 15:52our problem!
292. 15:53The plan to bury Osama bin Laden at sea was approved, and the body was treated with Muslim
293. 15:57religious rites.
294. 15:58There was even a brief reading of Arabic religious statements, at which point the body was draped
295. 16:02in a white shroud, place in a bag loaded with hundreds of pounds of iron chains, and placed
296. 16:06on a wooden board.
297. 16:08As the board was tilted forward, Bin Laden’s body slipped into the sea - ensuring the terror
298. 16:12leader would never have a grave that could be visited by loyalists, or targeted by enemies.
299. 16:17And now that the entire operation was over, there was only the cleanup to attend to.
300. 16:21It was roughly 3 AM local time in Pakistan when their Army chief received a phone call
301. 16:25informing the country of the operation that took place in their borders.
302. 16:29The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff filled him in on the details - and likely
303. 16:32smoothed over some angry words.
304. 16:34While there was some brief dispute of whether any Pakistani forces had been involved, the
305. 16:38government denied this and reports stated that the Pakistani planes which scrambled
306. 16:42to the location had only arrived after all the US forces had departed.
307. 16:46This is not where the aftermath ended through.
308. 16:48The raid that killed Osama bin Laden had played out over less than an hour, but the follow-up
309. 16:52would span years.
310. 16:54Controversies centered around the legality of the raid on foreign soil - although the
311. 16:57laws passed after 9/11 gave the US wide latitude to eliminate threats abroad.
312. 17:02Pakistan wasn’t pleased with the US operating on their soil, and the US wanted to know more
313. 17:06about bin Laden’s network of support in Pakistan.
314. 17:09Neither got too many answers.
315. 17:10Conspiracy theories persisted about bin Laden being alive - although the US government releasing
316. 17:15some photos of the terror leader’s corpse largely put those to rest.
317. 17:19And there was one more inevitable act.
318. 17:21Once the operation was partially declassified, various members of the team started putting
319. 17:25out memoirs.
320. 17:26Some varied in details - and most made the person writing the book out to be the hero.
321. 17:30So naturally, it wasn’t long before Hollywood came calling.
322. 17:33Only a year and a half after the death of Osama bin Laden, the movie “Zero Dark Thirty”
323. 17:38was released and its pick for the hero was…a fictional intelligence analyst played by Jessica
324. 17:43Chastain.
325. 17:44Because it wouldn’t be a key moment in American history without Hollywood putting its own
326. 17:47spin on it.
327. 17:48Want to know more about this famous manhunt?
328. 17:51Check out “Weird Things Navy SEALs Discovered in Osama Bin Laden’s Compound”, or watch
329. 17:55this video instead.