(05-03-2011 04:15 PM)adcorbett Wrote:  

(05-03-2011 02:51 PM)UCF08 Wrote:  And, like I said before, it was reported as a multi-million dollar complex. You think there are so many of those around that area of Pakistan that one with extremely tight security wouldn't cause suspicion?

For the record, it wasn't a "multi-million compund," it was a $1million compound. And while it was bigger than the houses around it, it was also the oldest of the houses, and not unique in having big tall thick walls, as that area apparently has a few houses like that. It's one of those things. Do you go up to the biggest house in the neighborhood and start snooping around, because it is bigger than everyone else's?

It's one of those things that in hindsight seems to stick out like a sore thumb, but it also seems that this is an area where people are murdered for little to know reason. People probably tend to mind their business. I know I would.

To further that point, there's a freaking country club that was down the road from where we went in:

http://www.theabbottabad.com/Image.aspx?...0Boy&id=16

We know there were people working to help keep bin Laden's location a secret. It sure seems logical that somebody within the government knew his location and helped keep his secret. But it's not impossible that he was able to do this without government assistance, and I just think it's premature to rush to that judgement.

USFFan

(05-03-2011 02:16 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  According to reports, the U.S. government has known about this compound since December...

I've read that they knew about it earlier. According to this report:

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/05/...bin-laden/

they found the house in July. After evaluating the surveillance, they began to suspect that bin Laden was in the house. Even after all that, they couldn't know for sure because they had no visual evidence. Obama had to make the call to go in based on the likelihood that he was there. Imagine the sh!tstorm if this had actually been a civilian's house.

Amazingly, we apparently had troops less than half a mile away two years ago:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...ds-newsxml

There also are suggestions that bin Laden's been there for "five or six years." That nugget of information can be used whether you support the notion that he had Pakistani government help or whether al Qaeda was simply doing a good job of hiding his whereabouts...

USFFan

In the interests of the board with the news now delivered and digested-ish, I'm going to move this to the politics forum where I encourage everyone to continue this discussion as its been a good one. I will leave a redirect for the next 24 hours from this forum.

I just saw this article that suggests we suspected he was there in September.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...a-out.html

What gets my blood boiling, though, is how close the whole thing came to being compromised by Wikileaks. I know there are some folks who defend Assange and what he's done, but it's pretty clear that there are some things that need to be kept secret. I seriously hope they use this to nip his shenanigans in the bud. I wonder if those Navy Seals are up for another secret mission...

I do find it ironic that there was "chatter" (in the form of Wikileaks) that we were active in Abbotabad, but that that information appears to have fallen through the cracks. Kind of the same way the "chatter" leading up to 9/11 didn't register until it was too late...

USFFan

I watched this show on Discovery tonight:

http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/killing-...en-videos/

It was pretty interesting. I figure the over/under on screenwriters working on scripts for movies like Operation Neptune Shield has to be about 50. You can even imagine a Jack Bauer version.

USFFan