TPM’s Susan Crabtree was on the White House conference call that ended a short time ago. And she’ll be filing a report shortly. But we’re getting some basic details on how today’s operation in Abbottabad, about 35 miles north of Islamabad.
Here are a few key details that have emerged.
The entire operation took roughly 40 minutes. There was no advance notification to any Pakistani authorities. US forces used two helicopters in the operation. And one of the two apparently went down due to mechanical difficulties during the operation, though without casualties. The special operations forces destroyed the helicopter.
The key thing is that bin Laden was living in a very big, fortified compound. The compound had no phone connection and no Internet connection. And that apparently was one of the many facts that initially led US intelligence to think bin Laden really might be there.
More details here.
