Posted on May 11, 2015
Seymour Hersh on what actually happened to Bin Laden... do you believe his story?
5.11K
51
23
4
4
0
Doesn’t Surprise Me One Bit
Hondo | May 11, 2015
As Jonn’s previously noted, it seems that a guy named Seymour Hersh – a longtime investigative reporter well-known for his work regarding the US military and Intelligence Community – has looked into the bin Laden raid. His conclusion?
Well, Hersh says that the POTUS did order the raid. He also says that US Navy SEALs carried it out.
He also says damn near everything else the current gang of fools and tools running the show in DC Administration has said about the raid is . . . well, pretty much bull. From a very long (approx 10,000 word) article Hersh recently published in the London Review of Books: http://www.lrb.co.uk/v37/n10/seymour-m-hersh/the-killing-of-osama-bin-laden
This spring I contacted Durrani and told him in detail what I had learned about the bin Laden assault from American sources: that bin Laden had been a prisoner of the ISI at the Abbottabad compound since 2006; that Kayani and Pasha knew of the raid in advance and had made sure that the two helicopters delivering the Seals to Abbottabad could cross Pakistani airspace without triggering any alarms; that the CIA did not learn of bin Laden’s whereabouts by tracking his couriers, as the White House has claimed since May 2011, but from a former senior Pakistani intelligence officer who betrayed the secret in return for much of the $25 million reward offered by the US, and that, while Obama did order the raid and the Seal team did carry it out, many other aspects of the administration’s account were false.
“Kayani and Pasha” here were Pakistan’s two most senior military leaders at the time of the bin Laden raid.
Yeah, Hersh is a liberal; I don’t much care for his politics either. But he’s also quite good at what he does. He is the guy in the press who first went bigtime public with the My Lai scandal. He beat Jack Anderson to the Glomar Explorer story (Anderson only gets credit for breaking that one because the CIA Director convinced the New York Times – who Hersh worked for at the time – to sit on Hersh’s story about same that was ready considerably earlier than Anderson’s). He’s also gone public with a number of other stories related to various national intel communities and/or governments blatantly lying to the public.
Jonn’s take on Hersh’s latest is quite different than mine. FWIW: best I can tell Hersh has been far closer to right over the years much more often than he’s been wrong when he’s writing about clandestine and/or intel matters. Believe him or not about this one as you like.
I’d not recommend dismissing out-of-hand his main points here, though. Hersh is one reporter who truly knows how to do his “homework” on this kind of subject – then actually does it before he publishes. Plus, he’s been raising questions about the “official” account of the bin Laden raid for approaching 2 years – and calling out the media for not raising more questions about that account.
Again: I don’t agree with Hersh’s politics, but the man knows his business. And when writing about the intel world, he’s got a pretty good track record.
As I said earlier, the article is quite long (about 10,000 words) – but if you have some time, IMO it’s damn well worth a read.
U.S. Officials Upset About Seymour Hersh Report
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/05/seymour-hersh-bin-laden-raid-officials-criticism-117826.html
Before Raid
After Raid
Yeah, IMO your leg was wet again, courtesy of the current Administration, circa mid-2011. And I’m pretty sure that wasn’t rain.
Hondo | May 11, 2015
As Jonn’s previously noted, it seems that a guy named Seymour Hersh – a longtime investigative reporter well-known for his work regarding the US military and Intelligence Community – has looked into the bin Laden raid. His conclusion?
Well, Hersh says that the POTUS did order the raid. He also says that US Navy SEALs carried it out.
He also says damn near everything else the current gang of fools and tools running the show in DC Administration has said about the raid is . . . well, pretty much bull. From a very long (approx 10,000 word) article Hersh recently published in the London Review of Books: http://www.lrb.co.uk/v37/n10/seymour-m-hersh/the-killing-of-osama-bin-laden
This spring I contacted Durrani and told him in detail what I had learned about the bin Laden assault from American sources: that bin Laden had been a prisoner of the ISI at the Abbottabad compound since 2006; that Kayani and Pasha knew of the raid in advance and had made sure that the two helicopters delivering the Seals to Abbottabad could cross Pakistani airspace without triggering any alarms; that the CIA did not learn of bin Laden’s whereabouts by tracking his couriers, as the White House has claimed since May 2011, but from a former senior Pakistani intelligence officer who betrayed the secret in return for much of the $25 million reward offered by the US, and that, while Obama did order the raid and the Seal team did carry it out, many other aspects of the administration’s account were false.
“Kayani and Pasha” here were Pakistan’s two most senior military leaders at the time of the bin Laden raid.
Yeah, Hersh is a liberal; I don’t much care for his politics either. But he’s also quite good at what he does. He is the guy in the press who first went bigtime public with the My Lai scandal. He beat Jack Anderson to the Glomar Explorer story (Anderson only gets credit for breaking that one because the CIA Director convinced the New York Times – who Hersh worked for at the time – to sit on Hersh’s story about same that was ready considerably earlier than Anderson’s). He’s also gone public with a number of other stories related to various national intel communities and/or governments blatantly lying to the public.
Jonn’s take on Hersh’s latest is quite different than mine. FWIW: best I can tell Hersh has been far closer to right over the years much more often than he’s been wrong when he’s writing about clandestine and/or intel matters. Believe him or not about this one as you like.
I’d not recommend dismissing out-of-hand his main points here, though. Hersh is one reporter who truly knows how to do his “homework” on this kind of subject – then actually does it before he publishes. Plus, he’s been raising questions about the “official” account of the bin Laden raid for approaching 2 years – and calling out the media for not raising more questions about that account.
Again: I don’t agree with Hersh’s politics, but the man knows his business. And when writing about the intel world, he’s got a pretty good track record.
As I said earlier, the article is quite long (about 10,000 words) – but if you have some time, IMO it’s damn well worth a read.
U.S. Officials Upset About Seymour Hersh Report
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/05/seymour-hersh-bin-laden-raid-officials-criticism-117826.html
Before Raid
After Raid
Yeah, IMO your leg was wet again, courtesy of the current Administration, circa mid-2011. And I’m pretty sure that wasn’t rain.
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 14
3
3
0
2
2
0
Fascinating piece of work, this article. It paints a picture that is awfully sure of itself, considering the sensitive subject matter. Otherwise known as plausible BS. Not enough sources.
There are a lot of contradictions on the Abottabad Raid. I don't think we really need to know all the particulars.
I do think that it was obviously exploited for political gain. Surprise, surprise.
Some of the conclusions point to the authors biases.
There are a lot of contradictions on the Abottabad Raid. I don't think we really need to know all the particulars.
I do think that it was obviously exploited for political gain. Surprise, surprise.
Some of the conclusions point to the authors biases.
(2)
(0)
2
2
0
2
2
0
Doesn't surprise me one bit that some nitwit would come out of the woodwork years later with a claim like this,
As much as I don't trust Oval Office Guy, a lie of that magnitude including the military would be the ultimate coup d'état and he doesn't have the stones or the backing to pull that one off. Then John McCain comes to his defense...
As much as I don't trust Oval Office Guy, a lie of that magnitude including the military would be the ultimate coup d'état and he doesn't have the stones or the backing to pull that one off. Then John McCain comes to his defense...
(2)
(0)
LTC Paul Labrador
The funny thing about conspiracy theories is that for them to be even plausible you have to believe that the government actually has a ultra high level of competence. Which is laughable in and of itself.....
(1)
(0)
2
2
0
SGT (Join to see) I trust that as Long as our Seals, Sealed Osama's Fate and Put him under the Ocean. Who Cares... History is written by the Victor... Unless Seymour Hersh is a Seal or a US Service member involved in the operation...which I'm certain he isn't; then he doesn't get to retell the tale. With the amount of muck raking that he has done in his time as an investigative reporter, that has only dug up crap that makes our Soldiers look bad; including our Vietnam veterans back in the 70's, I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him. Even if his story makes the POTUS look like a liar, which he has proven time after time on his own that he is...I don't' trust Seymour Hersh. Just a last note... The two photos are not relevant... The second one is a photoshop fake it's been around the internet for years now.
It was a Long read but and had interesting twists on the facts. Thank you for sharing this.
It was a Long read but and had interesting twists on the facts. Thank you for sharing this.
(2)
(0)
SGT (Join to see)
I read it and thought ,this guy is full of it. He's known for stretching the truth and writing fiction. I guess to PO the POTUS
(2)
(0)
SFC Charles S.
SGT (Join to see) Yeah good call...when you have heard it all like I am sure you have, you can smell a red herring from a mile away.
(1)
(0)
SGT (Join to see)
SFC Charles S. , I'm really tired of all the conjection from outside sources that claim to have knowledge from an inside source. That's not proof. That's hear say. The SEALS did their job, and the rest of the story is left up to the POTUS and his gang.
(2)
(0)
SFC Charles S.
SGT (Join to see) I'm with you. Too many stories flying around that are not the actual men in boot that were actually on the ground when it happened.
(0)
(0)
The death of bin Laden is going to be one of those things that will go down in history as a "he said, she said, they said" discussion. Much like the death of Hitler in Berlin, questions will always be there. If you notice, the people with the "answers" heard it from someone that hear it from someone that read it in a report written by someone that took notes from an interview of someone that was there.
What matters is that the guy is dead but as we have seen, you can cut the head of the snake by two more grow back to take it's place.
What matters is that the guy is dead but as we have seen, you can cut the head of the snake by two more grow back to take it's place.
(1)
(0)
1
1
0
At this point what does it matter. Bin Laden is no longer a threat.
(1)
(0)
1
1
0
I heard this guy talk about that subject on TV last night. I can say only this. He is full of crap. He said everything about the raid was true except he can't "believe" (not one fact to back him) that our Seals flew that far into Pakistan without being noticed. He said that could not have happened. Well we did use a stealth helicopter, which crashed on the compound with many pictures showing this. So, they evidently did make it there. There is no reason to tell the story any other way, because the mission was accomplished. By our Seals. To think America doesn't possess the capability to accomplish that mission is ridiculous! This so called reporter, doesn't know all the fact of that mission. How does he know that the Pakistan Military wasn't in on this plan? Pakistan wanted him out of there because of all the problems he brought with him. None of us knows all the intelligence involved. But, the President ordered the military to get him, and they got him. End of story. Mission accomplished. I could care less how they did it. It's irrelevant. Bin Laden is Dead! The President promised that would be his first priority in office, and he kept that promise. It really puzzles me how some question or somehow want to make the President look bad for how he did it, but the former President, who was attacked by Bin Laden, decommissioned the task force that was to find him, was never held to account for WHY he didn't or couldn't get our number one enemy at the time. But, nor does it surprise me people won't give credit where credit is due. This reporter just about came right out and disrespected our Navy SEALS capabilities. I can't have any faith in someones words when they don't have faith in our Country. BIN LADEN IS DEAD AND THIS PRESIDENT IS TO BE COMMENDED FOR GOING AFTER HIM, NOT CRITICIZED. Just my opinion.
(1)
(0)
SGT (Join to see)
SGT Scott Bailey I've learned to take reporters with a grain of salt. They lie, take articles out of context, and blow things way out of proportion. Whenever they think they have a scoop they throw it out there hoping it will be taken serious and believed by everyone. If they are called on it, they usually don't have any proof to back it up. It's all made up.
(2)
(0)
0
0
0
As long as he isn't planning a raid on U.S. entity.....I really don't care. Keep taking 'em out, cuz they sure are trying to do the same!
(0)
(0)
0
0
0
While I greatly dislike Hersh for a lot of reasons, as your article points out, he has DECADES of being proven correct. He also broke the Abu Ghraib story. When he says a story is ready, it is generally right.
(0)
(0)
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google