Bin Laden death photo: FAKE!
May 2nd, 2011 | Pakistan | Posted by Gina Cavallaro
As quickly as the news spread of the killing of Osama Bin Laden, a picture of his alleged bloodied death face began circulating. It has been lighting up the pages of Facebook and making the rounds on TV reports, websites and strings of emails.
Click here to see the alleged photo.
Just as quickly, though, the authenticity of the photo was being debunked on the web. Even the Associated Press, which disseminates photos to news organizations around the world, recalled the photo after determining it was bogus.
Osama bin Laden reportedly dead. Share your thoughts here
May 1st, 2011 | Pakistan | Posted by Dan Lamothe
We have almost no context yet, but there’s big news tonight: Osama bin Laden is reportedly dead.
I’ll be blogging for a while adding context, but please share your thoughts in the comments section below.
11:35 p.m.: President Obama just reported the death of bin Laden himself in an announcement at the White House. As you’d expect, he started by recalling the deaths of more than 3,000 Americans at the World Trade Center, Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pa.
11:37 p.m.: Obama says he told CIA director Leon Panetta to make killing or capturing bin Laden his top priority. The White House received a lead last August, and a small group of Americans conducted an operation in Pakistan on a compound today to get him. After a firefight, they collected his body, the president said.
11:40 p.m.: “Over the years, I have said repeatedly that if we received actionable intelligence that bin Laden was hiding in Pakistan, we would take action,” Obama said. He credited Pakistan with helping in the operation.
11:42 p.m.: The president just thanked counterintelligence and counterterrorism personnel for working to keep the U.S. safe. He has not said who carried out the mission, but the assumption is it was a CIA operation.
11:46 p.m.: There are now hundreds of people celebrating outside the White House, CNN reports.
11:49 p.m.: Multiple reports on Twitter say it was U.S. special operations team that carried out the mission, but it’s not confirmed.
11:57 p.m.: For perspective’s sake, the White House Twitter feed is online here. Thanks for the comments.
11:59 p.m.: A Gold Star mother just texted me the following: “As a Gold Star mother, I am happy for this human obstacle to be eliminated. One down, more to go.”
12 a.m.: Additional context is becoming available about where bin Laden died. The compound was in Abbottabad, deep in Pakistan.
12:05 a.m.: Here’s an initial wire story on the news.
12:09 a.m.: For reference sake: Adolf Hitler was declared on May 1, 1945.
12:11 a.m.: CNN reports that the National Security Council met five times since mid-March. The order to attack bin Laden’s compound was given Friday.
Marines conducting Pakistani flood relief avoid attacks
October 19th, 2010 | MEU operations Pakistan | Posted by Dan Lamothe
A Marine corporal with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 266 (reinforced) moves supplies in Pano Aqil, Pakistan, last week. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Jhonson Simeon/Marine Corps)
The Marine Corps has been conducting flood relief operations for two months in Pakistan, which was ravaged by floods this summer that killed at least 1,500 people and destroyed an estimated 1.9 million houses, according to most estimates.
One piece that couldn’t be overlooked before the U.S. pitched in was security. It’s no secret that Pakistan has a muscular anti-American insurgency, and is used as a staging ground for attacks on U.S. troops in neighboring Afghanistan.
As this story in the New York Times points out, though, Marines and soldiers providing flood relief have avoided attacks in Pakistan so far — but they have had their close calls. A noteworthy excerpt:
After landing in one remote spot of Kohistan, in a designated Provincially Administered Tribal Area, the Pakistani leader of a flight ordered a hasty evacuation after less than a minute on the ground, before any aid could be delivered. The order came after local tribesmen warned him and the security detail that Taliban or other armed men were hiding behind a hill near the landing spot, apparently waiting for offloading to begin to launch an ambush.
The abandoned drop left both Pakistani and American personnel upset, not because of the near miss but because the three dozen men and boys waiting at the site desperately needed the food on board.
“Look, it’s not the first time it’s happened,” said Pakistan Army Capt. Asad Mehmood, the safety pilot during the trip and the same man who ordered the hasty retreat. Mehmood downplayed the incident, insisting that it would be resolved the next day with a better security assessment and other precautions.
The same story notes that all Marines and soldiers interviewed said their work in Pakistan is similar to providing logistic support in a combat zone. To date, the U.S. military has delivered more than 16 million pounds of supplies to more than 22,000 flood victims.
One-star officer: Marines will be in Pakistan up to 4 months
August 20th, 2010 | MEU operations Pakistan | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Pakistanis wait to receive supplies delivered by Marines to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, on Wednesday. (Photo by Capt. Paul Duncan/Marine Corps)
Last week, we covered the move by the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, out of Camp Pendleton, Calif., to assist flood-ravaged Pakistan.
The update: The situation is serious enough that Marines are now planning to assist for up to four months.
Brig. Gen. David Berger, director of operations at Marine Corps headquarters, sat down with two other reporters and me yesterday to explain the situation. The amphibious assault ship Peleliu has been off the coast of Pakistan since Aug. 9, and more than 200 Marines are now based out of Ghazi air base, west of Islamabad, where helicopter relief missions are being launched regularly.
The U.S. originally expected Marines would be needed for 30 to 60 days, but it now looks like 90 to 120 is more realistic, Berger said. The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., also sped up its planned deployment to leave North Carolina by the end of the month and sail for Pakistan.
“Right now, we’re planning long-term, because that’s the most difficult one” to support, Berger said of the Corps’ plans. “If we’re not needed that long, OK, but we’re planning 90 to 120 right now.”
As of yesterday, the U.S. had 15 military helicopters, including 12 Marine helos, in Pakistan flying missions out of Ghazi. The aircraft included eight medium-lift CH-46E Sea Knights and four heavy-lift CH-53E Super Stallions, plus three Navy heavy-lift MH-53 helos sent from Bahrain. The Marine helicopters are with the MEU’s aviation element, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 165 (Reinforced), out of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif.
For more information, check out next week’s Marine Corps Times.
Conway, Kent touch down in Afghanistan
August 18th, 2010 | Afghanistan Pakistan The CMC The Sgt. Major of the Marine Corps | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Gen. James Conway, center, and Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Carlton Kent, right, have reached Afghanistan for what will likely be the last time with Conway overseeing the Corps. They're show here earlier this month at Camp Lejeune, N.C. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Bryan J. Nygaard/Marine Corps)
It had to come sometime.
After four years of leading the Marine Corps in wartime, Commandant Gen. James Conway is making what will likely be his final trip to Afghanistan this week. He touched down at Bagram Airfield on Tuesday, and if he and his traveling party haven’t already made it to Camp Leatherneck, the Corps’ major hub of operations in Afghanistan, they’ll likely be there soon.
For security reasons, their agenda is classified. However, it’s likely they’ll tour much of the area. This brief account in the Pakistani media also reports that Conway visited today with Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, the chief of staff for the Pakistani Army.
Conway is expected to retire next month and will be replaced by Gen. James Amos, the service’s current assistant commandant.
Marines with 15th MEU to the rescue in Pakistan
August 12th, 2010 | MEU operations Pakistan | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Pakistani flood survivors struggle for relief packages dropped by a Pakistan army helicopter near Sukkar, Pakistan, on Thursday. (AP Photo/Shakil Adil)
Above, a scene today from Pakistan, where millions of people face a dire situation after monsoon rains that have caused catastrophic flooding across the country.
More than 1,500 people have died in flooding that dates back to last month, and worsened in the last few days. Pakistani officials have said it’s the worst natural disaster in their nation’s history and evacuated villages in several parts of the country. This Time story details the devastation well.
With that in mind, the U.S. is sending in Marines with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, out of Camp Pendleton, Calif. The amphibious assault ship Peleliu arrived off the coast of Karachi, Pakistan’s capital, within the last 24 hours, and CH-53E helicopters already have made trips to deliver supplies and water.
I’ve reached out to 15th MEU spokesmen for additional details. In the meantime, here’s sending good vibes to the Marines and sailors who will be assisting in Pakistan over the next few days.