Film on Bin Laden attack to be released two days before presidential election

Just two days before the presidential election, a film on the death of Bin Laden will be aired on the National Geographic Channel. The film is being released by a company whose co-chairman raised more than $100,000 for the Obama Victory Fund.

The film is called "Seal Team Six: The Raid on Osama bin Laden". The National Geographic Channel plans to air a video of the film on November 4th just two days before the election on November 6. The channel claims the date is to promote the start of the fall season and has nothing to do with politics. Nevertheless, this is a happy coincidence for Obama.

Harvey Weinstein, co-chair of The Weinstein Co. and Voltage Pictures, that produced the film also just happens to be an avid fan and supporter of Barack Obama. Back in early August, Weinstein held a fund-raising dinner at his Westport, Connecticut home that hosted 50 people at a cost of $35,800 per head.

The president has constantly hyped the successful raid by Navy Seal Special Forces that killed Bin Laden. The channel president, Howard T. Owens, said that the channel was not political. The channel also asserted that the film is meant simply to give a historical account of the events not to take a political stance. However, even a historical account can have the effect of supporting the president at a key time.

Another film on the same events "Zero Dark Thirty" by Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal is also scheduled to be released at the end of the year. Weinstein wanted to release his movie first.

"Seal Team Six" has been vetted by experts that include a recently retired Navy Seal and also a Bin Laden historian. A channel news release said:"While some aspects of the characterizations have been dramatized for creative reasons, the core story is an accurate portrayal of an event that ended the longest manhunt in American history."

The "Zero Dark Thirty" film was originally scheduled for release shortly before the Nov. 6 election but it was postponed by Sony Pictures until Dec. 19. Republican, Peter King, had accused the Obama administration of unprecedented and possibly dangerous collaboration with the filmmaker. No doubt there will be an outcry from Obama critics about the timing of the release of "Seal Team Six".

New book by Navy SEAL contradicts official version of Bin Laden killing

According to an account of Bin Laden's death in a new book by a Navy SEAL involved in the raid, Bin Laden was shot as he poked his head out a bedroom door. This contradicts the official version which claims he was shot afterwards.

The official U.S. administration version of the raid on Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad Pakistan is that the Navy SEALs shot bin Laden only after he had ducked back into the bedroom. The SEALS assumed that he might be reaching for a weapon and so shot him on opening the door.

The White House response to the apparent contradiction does not answer it at all but is simply a repetition of Obama's praise for the Seals. White House spokesperson Tommy Vietor said::

"As President Obama said on the night that justice was brought to Osama bin Laden, 'We give thanks for the men who carried out this operation, for they exemplify the professionalism, patriotism and unparalleled courage of those who serve our country."'

This is typical of official political commentary these days. It does not respond to the question but is meant to elicit the proper positive response from the public.

Navy SEAL Matt Bissonnette writing under the pseudonym Mark Owen wrote his own account of the Bin Laden raid in his book No Easy Day. The book is to be published next week under the Dutton imprint by Penguin (USA). Bissonnette claims that he was directly behind the "point man" as they climbed the stairs. Less than five steps from the top Bissonnette heard gunfire. The point man reportedly saw a man peeking out the door on the right of the hallway.

When Bin Laden ducked back in to what was a bedroom the SEALS followed. Bin Laden was crumpled on the floor in a pool of blood. There was a hole visible on the right side of his head and two women were wailing by the body.

The SEALs shoved the women away into a corner and then trained their sights on Bin Laden's still twitching body and shot him several times until he remained motionless. Later two weapons were found by the doorway but they had not been touched. This story would seem to confirm what many analysts had already thought. The aim of the mission was simply to kill Bin Laden and that during the raid Bin Laden had not been a threat to the SEALS.

Bissonnette however claims that before the raid a lawyer informed them that they were not on an assassination mission. Bissonnette maintains that the lawyer said that if Bin Laden were not a threat they should "detain hiim". Yet Bissonnette's account shows that Bin Laden was not a threat when they finished him off. Perhaps the SEALS decided that being so badly wounded it was best to make sure Bin Laden was dead.

Another part of Bissonnette's account concerns treatment of the body. Bissonette claims that a SEAL sat on Bin Laden's chest as the body lay in the middle of the helicopter taking them to a third helicopter inside Pakistan. It should be noted that space was quite limited as one helicopter had crashed at the scene.

Apparently none of the SEALs were Obama fans although they respected him as commander in chief for giving the go ahead for the raid. They were even less enthused about the vice-president Joe Biden.

Bissonnette's book did not have the formal review that the Pentagon requires for any volume published by former or current Defence Department employees. This is somewhat surprising. One would think that publisher's would ensure that this would happen or that all those snoops who are collecting information about everything would alert the Pentagon that the book was to be published.

The author claims he did not disclose confidential or sensitive information that would compromise national security in any way. However, officials from the Pentagon and CIA are apparently checking the book for any disclosure of classified information. Legal action could even be taken against Bissonette. No doubt Bissonette will by then have plenty of money to help pay his legal expenses.

Giving an account of the raid that is at variance with the official version of events seems to me prima facie evidence that Bissonnette has revealed classified information. However prosecution might be too embarrassing for the administration. After all, Bissonnette is one of those patriotic, professionals with great courage whom Obama praised as serving the U.S.

Afghanistan killings: What happened remains unclear and many questions remain

The details of this incident are quite unclear but most accounts say that there was one lone gunman who left a base near Kandahar in the early hours of Sunday morning. Some accounts say around 3 AM.

How is it that this soldier apparently a sergeant was allowed out of the base alone and armed at this time of night? None of the accounts of the event explain this at all. Surely security would be tight at this base.

Some accounts talk of his leaving his command post at this time. Was the command post inside the base or outside the base or what exactly was he supposed to be doing? Again some accounts say that an Afghan soldier noticed his leaving the post and notified superiors. They then had a head count and found indeed that a soldier was missing and sent out a patrol.

According to some accounts he surrendered to this patrol as he was coming back to the base. According to other accounts he gave himself up when he got back to the base.

Many of the villagers reported that there were helicopters hovering over the area. A member of parliament said:The residents of Panjwai district in the volatile Kandahar province said they showed no resistance during the mass murder - because they have become used to regular night raids by both foreign and Afghan forces."We have learned that our houses will be searched at night, and we just cooperate," . A resident said: "Americans are always threatening us with dogs and helicopters during night raids."

A number of residents of the villages attacked say they saw more than one soldier during the shooting. Many reports omit such reports or simply note them in passing. An exception is this Reuters report. Here is a sample quote:""Neighbors said they had awoken to crackling gunfire from American soldiers, who they described as laughing and drunk."They were all drunk and shooting all over the place," said neighbor Agha Lala, who visited one of the homes where killings took place. ""

Other witnesses report only one the one soldier. Some have claimed that the two villages attacked were several kilometers apart. It is strange that after firing and killing in on village he was able to walk to another and start in again. Some have concluded that this shows there was more than one attacker.

Questions arise as to which observations are correct. The official line and mainstream headlines all spout the official correct version of one attacker.

An interesting sidelight is that the alleged attacker seems to be associated with the Green Berets or Navy Seals. These groups were on a village stabilization operation. These special operations troops pair with villagers and become in effect a sanctioned and armed neighborhood watch no doubt designed to intercept Taliban. I wonder if this had anything to do with the incident?

The whole affair is murky and no one seems to be clarifying anything but instead are propagating an official line that conflicts with a considerable amount of eyewitness testimony. Since the incident a NATO airstrike has killed three more civilians. See this article.

U.S commando mothership to be sent to Middle East

 The Ponce a U.S. amphibious assault ship is to be retrofitted so that it could carry smaller high speed craft and also helicopters. The boat could then serve as a mother ship for Navy Seals. Commando teams could be sent on missions as tensions rise between the U.S. and Iran, and perhaps missions would be made in Yemen, Somalia or against pirates.
   Use of this type of ship fits in with Obama's plan to downsize the armed forces and make greater use of special forces. A spokesperson for the Navy Fleet Forces Command would not elaborate on the purpose of the ship or where it would be deployed exactly.
   The navy is moving very quickly to have the retrofit done and the ship in the area by midsummer. It could very well be headed to the Persian Gulf. The navy already has a considerable presence in the area with the fifth fleet headquarters in Bahrain. The new ship would not add significant power but could be very useful in launching secret commando mission offshore. For much more see this article.