Intricate Planning for Bin Laden Raid

The lead article in today’s New York Times, “Bigger Raid Unit Braced for Fight with Pakistanis,” provides some excellent reporting as The Times continues to flush out the story with further details. Apparently, the President had prepared for more contingencies than previously revealed included a possible firefight with Pakistan’s police and/or military and the need to get out of the country at all costs to avoid a fight over jurisdiction.

The President directed that two helicopters with additional troops wait at the edge of the Afghan border, about 90 minutes away, in case the troops were unable to avoid a conflict with Pakistani forces, a distinct possibility and one the Seals were commanded to avoid, if at all possible. In addition, plans were prepared for senior military officials to call their Pakistani counterparts for the same reason. One of these additional helicopters proved essential when its counterpart crashed into the compound.

In addition to the extra helicopters, the United States also used surveillance and monitoring aircraft to determine when the Pakistani forces were finally going to respond to the noises coming from the compound. This component of the plan helped the Seals stay at the compound as long as possible to gather computer hard drives and other intelligence, a facet of the plan that may become almost as important in the fight against Al Qaeda as the killing of Osama bin Laden himself.

And finally, the President also directed the formation of two separate teams for interrogating or burying Bin Laden, the latter also on a Navy ship to avoid the aforementioned problem with jurisdiction.