Pakistani Officials Say Osama's 12 Year Old Daughter Injured in Raid

By Jeralyn, Section War on Terror
Posted on Wed May 04, 2011 at 03:02:49 PM EST
Tags: Osama bin Laden (all tags)

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The Guardian has a lot of new details from Pakistani security officials on the raid that killed Osama bin Laden and others, and the survivors. More conflicting information. As to Osama's 12 year old daughter who reportedly witnessed the shooting:

Pakistani officials told the Guardian yesterday that Bin Laden's daughter, which various reports named as Safina, Safia or Ayesha yesterday, had been hit in the ankle in the moments before the American assault team reached the room where they found her father, and later passed out. The wound was possibly caused by fragments from a grenade thrown by the assault team as they attacked, one said.

[More...]

If she was hit outside the room, before they entered, how did she see the shooting? The wife who was shot in the calf is a 29-year-old Yemeni, Amal Ahmed Abdul Fatah. They were married in Afghanistan 11 years ago. Both the wife and daughter are in a military hospital and the Pakistanis say they are unlikely to let the U.S. question them.

The survivors include eight children and two adults, both women. The Pakistani officials tell the Guardian that Osama's son who was killed was Hamza, and that his body was removed with Osama's and buried at sea. Jay Carney today said only Osama's body was removed.

Warning: Graphic Images: The Guardian has published photos from Reuters of three of the dead men in the house, lying in blood. Don't look unless you are prepared for the gruesomeness. They are photos 7, 8 and 9. One is time-stamped 5/2 at 02:30 and the other is at 02:39.

Update: Reuters said it purchased the photos from a Pakistani official. It published the photos here.

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Pakistani Officials Say Osama's 12 Year Old Daughter Injured in Raid | 30 comments (30 topical)

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Look over here - we got bin Laden! (5.00 / 1) (#7)
by ruffian on Wed May 04, 2011 at 03:59:29 PM EST

I see no need (5.00 / 2) (#11)
by Wile ECoyote on Wed May 04, 2011 at 04:27:00 PM EST

to release the photos. The nuts who believe Osama was not killed will not believe any of the photos. The rest of the people who want to see the photos are just curious. Not worth bothering with either group.

The release of these visuals (none / 0) (#1)
by KeysDan on Wed May 04, 2011 at 03:14:32 PM EST

seems to argue in favor of releasing the visuals of Osama.

I was thinking the same thing (none / 0) (#3)
by ruffian on Wed May 04, 2011 at 03:22:54 PM EST

If it is much more gruesome than those it makes me question why.


Not because of who he was (5.00 / 4) (#9)
by Towanda on Wed May 04, 2011 at 04:02:41 PM EST

but because of who we are -- or aspire to be.

The photos will come out, I am sure. But let that not be owing to this country.


Yes, thank you (5.00 / 3) (#13)
by sj on Wed May 04, 2011 at 04:33:56 PM EST

We should be better than that.


Good point. But if they get out at all (none / 0) (#31)
by ruffian on Wed May 04, 2011 at 08:32:02 PM EST

they came from us at some level. I don't think anyone else had a chance to take pictures of OBL.


: Of course. I meant (none / 0) (#33)
by Towanda on Thu May 05, 2011 at 12:01:34 AM EST

officially from this country, i.e., released by the White House, a government agency, or the like.
That there are cowboys in our agencies with access to the photos who could go off on their own, well, we know that all too well from a sordid past.

Note: (none / 0) (#36)
by Towanda on Thu May 05, 2011 at 09:16:09 AM EST

Only after writing this did I see the clip on tv of Obama giving part of this reply to the question of releasing the photos: That doing so "is not who we are." Good on him.


J, photos are now 2,3,4. n/t (none / 0) (#2)
by nycstray on Wed May 04, 2011 at 03:14:40 PM EST

I'm guessing (none / 0) (#4)
by Ga6thDem on Wed May 04, 2011 at 03:30:40 PM EST

these pictures are of the other two men that have been described in the press reports?

One story I read, I forget where, said that the house was "officially" owned by two brothers who had a local business.

Yeah, since these are out there there's really no reason to not release the OBL photos.

The more they tell us, the less we know, (none / 0) (#5)
by Anne on Wed May 04, 2011 at 03:53:21 PM EST

it seems. Or the more questions we have about what is truth and what is rumor. I don't know who to believe, or what to believe, so I guess I should tune in to national news to find out how I'm supposed to be thinking and feeling about it. Yes, that was snark, but - sadly - I'm sure most people are just taking what is being told to them and accepting it without much question.

One thing's for sure: it's clear this was no kick-down-the-door and "clear" the rooms one-by-one kind of operation; this was hell raining down. The death photos of Osama could not possibly be worse than the ones posted of others killed, so the only question is whether withholding the Osama photos is still justified.

Meanwhile, John Ashcroft has been named the ethics chief of Xe (formerly "Blackwater"), and Republicans may be forcing an anti-abortion bill into the debt limit compromise legislation.

Yeah, life just gets better and better...

off topic, this thread is about (none / 0) (#27)
by Jeralyn on Wed May 04, 2011 at 05:35:26 PM EST

Osama and what happened during the raid.


: comments in response to (none / 0) (#28)
by Jeralyn on Wed May 04, 2011 at 05:39:39 PM EST

this about an abortion bill have been deleted, please post them in a relevant thread or wait until an open thread.

I'm not interested in the photos (none / 0) (#8)
by shoephone on Wed May 04, 2011 at 04:02:15 PM EST

I am interested in the statement that, regarding the wife and daughter, "the Pakistanis say they are unlikely to let the U.S. question them." Only while they are in the hospital, or forever?

It's pretty clear the Pakistanis are knee deep in having allowed OBL to hideout in Abbottabad in the first place, and now they are trying to prevent the U.S. from questioning the wife and daughter. OK, whatever. I assume much of the needed information will be culled from the hard drives and other materials found at the house.

I would hope the child... (5.00 / 0) (#17)
by kdog on Wed May 04, 2011 at 04:55:31 PM EST

is safe from the third degree...she is innocent. Even if she had some info, I'd hope she's left alone to try to make a life outta the lemon she was handed by birth lottery.

The wife is more complicated, she's an adult and chose to lie down with a dog...or did she have a choice? We know how some sects of islam roll, maybe she was forced to marry the bum...she could be an innocent too, in which case she too should not be treated like a perp.

"Intelligence gathering" must have limits if we're gonna stay human.


I agree, kdog (none / 0) (#19)
by Zorba on Wed May 04, 2011 at 04:58:47 PM EST

But who says we're necessarily human? Or maybe the definition of "human" has been seriously degraded.


: Touche Z... (5.00 / 0) (#24)
by kdog on Wed May 04, 2011 at 05:16:30 PM EST

we gotta hold the line and not slip any further!
Even if the poor girl knows where daddy's friends live, I pray we ain't gonna go there. But when you're talking CIA, all bets are off.
If ya gotta be an Osama to beat an Osama, I say we lose gracefully...or at least wait for the muslim hordes crashing our shores before we get that nasty.

Also interested in this aspect, shoephone (none / 0) (#12)
by christinep on Wed May 04, 2011 at 04:32:42 PM EST

The whole Pakistani situation reminds me of the complicated Balkans...in that, what you see is not what you get. That there are conflicting segments of Pakistani society is obvious; think back to Benazir Bhutto (or her father before her.)

The between-the-lines stuff that Secretary Clinton is saying now--and has been saying for some time--may provide the most clues to how our approach to Pakistan may devolve. Apart from the in-your-face implication of Pakistan's involvement with the Taliban and, apparently, with bin Laden, the question is: Where is the pathway in future to maximize the cleavage in that state...how to reinforce the weakened & persuadable segment in order to diminish the long-known military connections there with the Taliban?


: Better minds than mine know the answer (none / 0) (#16)
by shoephone on Wed May 04, 2011 at 04:55:17 PM EST

to that. But, as with most of our realpolitik, what's being said in back channels is very different from what's released for public consumption. I think the Pakistanis have to know that any further funds from us are going to have serious conditions attached. While we may need their help in the region (and yes, they've got about 100 nukes), they're going to have a hard time explaining the very existence of that compound, nary 1/2 mile from army buildings, located in an ISI town.

Leon Panetta, CIA Director (none / 0) (#22)
by KeysDan on Wed May 04, 2011 at 05:02:01 PM EST

and Secretary of Defense-nominee, stated earlier that the Osama photos would be released "imminently". Guess he had bad intelligence.

Probably just a little distracted (none / 0) (#23)
by Anne on Wed May 04, 2011 at 05:08:01 PM EST

planning out the cast for the movie - I mean what if Al Pacino were cast to play Panetta?

Total snark, sorry.

Seems like going out in public and saying something 180 degrees from the president's own comments is not the smartest thing to do to secure one's nomination to SecDef, but what do I know?


: Well, his work (none / 0) (#29)
by KeysDan on Wed May 04, 2011 at 05:48:12 PM EST

is sort of like that of a weatherman: you can make a lot of mistakes and still keep your job. Indeed, it is expected. Say, maybe Al Roker might be a good cast for his character.

Panetta (none / 0) (#25)
by star on Wed May 04, 2011 at 05:19:25 PM EST

spoke when they were considering releasing the pictures. Obama decided in the middle of the interview NOT to.. at least the Decisive decision to NOT release was O's during the interview to 60 mins. I do not think Panetta had no clue which way president was leaning when he gave his opinion(version) of imminent release.


Panetta (none / 0) (#34)
by cal1942 on Thu May 05, 2011 at 01:41:18 AM EST

displayed his 'intellect' in the Brain Williams interview. OR. This administration is incapable of keeping everyone on the same page.


Amnesty International (none / 0) (#26)
by Nemi on Wed May 04, 2011 at 05:33:15 PM EST

asks for clarification from the US and Pakistani authorities re the killing of bin Laden.

Given that he was not armed, it is not clear how he resisted arrest and whether an attempt was made to capture him rather than kill him, said Claudio Cordone.
Amnesty International believes that US forces should have attempted to capture Osama bin Laden alive in order to bring him to trial if he was unarmed and posing no immediate threat.

Ugh (none / 0) (#30)
by lilburro on Wed May 04, 2011 at 06:04:47 PM EST

I thought those were pretty gross. Plus it didn't look like anybody got shot in the eye...which would make it all the more gross I think.

It makes me want to say RIP although maybe I shouldn't...ugh.

: You should. Losing our own humanity (5.00 / 1) (#32)
by ruffian on Wed May 04, 2011 at 08:35:14 PM EST

would diminish any victory over terrorists.

This is David Koresh... (none / 0) (#35)
by ScottW714 on Thu May 05, 2011 at 08:56:22 AM EST

... non-sense. The world's most wanted man brought all these people into his life knowing damn well there was a good chance they would all die if his whereabouts were discovered.

The blame is squarely on his shoulders, period. I can't think of anything more selfish then bringing women and children into a fortified compound. I included women because they probably had as much say as the children in going there, which is to say none.

: Even... (5.00 / 1) (#37)
by kdog on Thu May 05, 2011 at 10:21:14 AM EST

wanted fugitives have wives & children that love them. No clue if that was the case here...but hard to imagine a 12 year old girl who doesn't love her daddy unless he is abusive.
Hate playing Osama's advocate, but what is he supposed to do, abandon his family? True it's on him that he got into the murder business, putting his family at risk...doesn't mean we have to make sure he and his family pay for it.
But his daughter was spared death cuz we didn't use a drone, we can be proud of that, at the very least.