NEW YORK: The US Navy SEALs pumped two 5.56-mm bullets to kill an
unarmed al-Qaida chief in Abbottabad, US media report said on Monday,
providing new insight into the covert operation.
"There was
never any question of detaining or capturing him, it wasn’t a
split-second decision. No one wanted detainees," a special-operations
officer in the raid was quoted as saying by The New Yorker magazine.
Six
US helicopters, two MH-60 Black Hawk and four MH-47 Chinooks were
involved in the May 2 special operation to kill bin Laden, the weekly
reported in its latest edition.
"The first round, a 5.56-mm
bullet, struck bin Laden in the chest. As he fell backward, the SEAL
fired a second round into his head, just above his left eye," the
report said while detailing the blow-by-blow account of the special
operation.
On his radio, The SEAL personnel who shot the
al-Qaida mastermind, reported, "For God and country, Geronimo,
Geronimo, Geronimo." After a pause, he added, "Geronimo
E.K.I.A."--"enemy killed in action."
The comprehensive report
on the nearly 40 minute raid on 54-year-old Osama’s hide out said that
the climax began when a SEAL personnel stepped into Osama’s bedroom and
trained the infrared laser of his M4 on his chest.
Bin Laden,
who was wearing a tan shalwar kameez and a prayer cap on his head,
froze; he was unarmed, the report said, while adding Osama’s two wives
tried to protect him by placing themselves as human shields. Online
