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May 1 2011 night falls in Pakistan

- Admiral McRaven enters the briefing room at FOB Fenty Jalabad as the SEALs anxiously wonder if the raid is a go.

- Two Pakistani soldiers stand guard duty for their patrol several miles east of the Pakistan/Afghanistan border.

- A member Bin Laden’s security team stands watch on the roof of the compound while Osama Bin Laden sleeps inside. (only POD prior to the operation is Bin Laden had a larger team of bodyguards in his compound)

The SEAL team double and triple checked their weapons and equipment as their helicopters flew east through the dead of the night. Meanwhile one of the Pakistani soldiers standing watch nudged his comrade awake.

“Do you hear that?” he asked?

“Huh… “mumbled his comrade as he rubbed his eyes awake.

“It sounds like helicopters, they just passed nearby, but sounded different, quieter, not sure how far away they were”

“It sounds like they are headed east” both soldiers strained their eyes and ears trying to see or hear more as the muffled sound vanished into the distance. “we better wake the commander, we were briefed the Americans have been violating our borders, I am sure that was some sort of helicopter”

After the report of the possible helicopter activity into Pakistan the officer on watch began checking with all the radar stations to see if they had detected any activity as he debated to himself if he should be waking someone senior up. The radar operators were detecting aircraft activity over the Afghan side of the border, but hadn’t detected any incursions into Pakistan itself. The report from the patrol said they heard what sounded like helicopters flying east which from their position would be taking them deep into Pakistani territory, however there were no radar contacts confirming that report. Maybe the mountains and weather made the sounds come from a different direction he thought. He decided he would contact PAF Base Shahbaz so they could have their alert aircraft on standby in case something really was going on.

Meanwhile the helicopters had reached their target, as the first helicopter approached the compound walls it suddenly experienced a downwash issue, the pilot attempted to regain altitude but the helicopter began rolling and the tail rotor smashed against the wall. He was able to avert full catastrophe and managed to get the aircraft to the ground about 30 yards from the compound walls in an open area injuring the copilot and one SEAL team member. Meanwhile the sentry on the roof of the compound had sounded the alarm and began firing his AK-47 at the second helicopter, the gunner on the helicopter promptly took him out and the second helicopter then landed near the crashed helicopter to assess the situation. Local residents had been awakened by the crash of the helicopter and were already beginning to congregate near the site.

The SEAL team commander sprang into action as he exited the second helicopter, he assigned a team to breach the wall of the compound while having another team prepare explosives to destroy the first crashed helicopter. The two injured personnel were brought to the second helicopter as it was determined their injuries were not too serious and they wouldn’t require immediate evacuation. He also dispatched an interpreter to try to shoo away the civilians that were exiting their homes and congregating towards the helicopters.

The second helicopter took flight again to deliver a SEAL team to the roof of the compound and provide fire support from the air. Inside the compound was a flurry of activity as the occupants grabbed weapons and donned suicide vests. Bin Laden and one of his wives were woken from their sleep. One of the security guards emerged onto the roof of the main building with a SA-18. He aimed at the helicopter but just before he could launch the missile he was spotted by the gunner who was quicker to the trigger and tore into him with the mini-gun before he could launch the SA-18. The SEALs on the helicopter prepared to fast-rope onto the roof, meanwhile on the ground a hole in the compound wall exploded as did the broken helicopter.

General McRaven was pacing nervously as he monitored the operation, he wasn’t happy they had lost a helicopter already, the SEAL commander on the ground wasn’t happy how the mission was going so far either, but he knew how important this mission was and they weren’t turning back now.

“Let’s find that bastard!” he yelled as he led his men through the compound wall.
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