WASHINGTON // Osama bin Laden was shot in the head as he peered out of a door and then pumped with bullets as he convulsed on the floor, according to a book written by a member of the US commando team that killed him.
The book, No Easy Day, says bin Laden was unarmed when Navy Seals discovered him during the raid on his Pakistani compound.
On the shelf behind the Al Qaeda leader's bedroom door was an unloaded AK-47 and a Makarov pistol.
"He hadn't even prepared a defence," wrote the author Matt Bissonnette, 36, whose pseudonym is Mark Owen.
"He had no intention of fighting. He asked his followers for decades to wear suicide vests or fly planes into buildings, but he didn't even pick up his weapon."
In the first published account by a participant in the raid on May 2, 2011, Bissonnette wrote that Navy Seals battled their way for at least 15 minutes through bin Laden's home, killing one of his sons and two associates, before reaching the third floor.
Bissonnette said he crouched behind the point man going up the stairs in the dark hallway. He heard two shots fired by the first Seal into the hallway. He wrote that the Seal in front of him had seen a dark-bearded man peeking out of a door on the right side of the hallway, but Bissonnette could not tell from his vantage point whether the bullets hit the target.
The man, Bissonnette wrote, ducked back into his bedroom and the Seals followed, believing they could be walking into an ambush - "he had plenty of time to strap on a suicide vest or simply get his gun". What they found was the man crumpled on the floor at the foot a bed with a hole visible on the right side of his head, "blood and brains spilled out of the side of his skull".
Two women were wailing over his body. The point man shoved the two women out of the way. He and the other Seals fired a series of rounds into bin Laden's still-twitching body until it stopped. Once they wiped the blood off his face, only then they were convinced it was bin Laden.
Elsewhere in the book, Bissonnette wrote that none of the Seals were fans of President Barack Obama.
At the same time, Bissonnette credits Mr Obama for having the courage to order the raid, and he describes being impressed by the president's understated speech announcing the Al Qaeda leader's death to the world. "We respected him as the commander-in-chief of the military and for giving us the green light on the mission," he added.
In a CBS Evening News clip from a segment of the news magazine 60 Minutes scheduled to air on Sunday, Bissonnette said the book was not intended to be political. "You know, if these crazies on either side of the aisle want to make it political, shame on them," he said. "This is a book about September 11 and it needs to rest on September 11, not be brought into the political arena."
Bissonnette insists in an author's note that he revealed no classified information in the book. He says he took "great pains to protect the tactics, techniques and procedures" of US Special Forces teams and to conceal the identities of his active-duty comrades.
In the administration's version of events, the lead commando's shot in the stairwell missed, and the Seals confronted bin Laden in the bedroom, killing him with one shot to the chest and another above the left eye. Most military and administration officials declined to comment yesterday.
The question of whether the terrorist leader would be killed or captured came up in briefings, Bissonnette writes. At one point, a government lawyer made clear that "this wasn't an assassination", the author says.
No Easy Day, to be released on Tuesday, is currently No. 1 on the best-seller lists at Amazon.com and BN.com.
* With additional reporting by Associated Press and Agence-France Presse
General%20Classification
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Key Points
- Protests against President Omar Al Bashir enter their sixth day
- Reports of President Bashir's resignation and arrests of senior government officials
How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
2289 - Dh10
2252 - Dh50
6025 - Dh20
6027 - Dh100
6026 - Dh200
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Greenwood 77')
Everton 1 (Lindelof 36' og)
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Company%20profile
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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