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Looking at the Timeline of the New Yorker Killing Bin Laden Story

By Larry Johnson on August 3, 2011 at 10:38 PM in Current Affairs

Let’s continue with the New Yorker’s cub reporter, Nick Schmidle, and his tale of the killing of Bin Laden by America’s hero President, Barry Soetoro Obama, by focusing on the timeline. Worth looking at the story based on the actual local times and the time distance facts.

Let’s start with some basic facts:

1. There is an 8 and one half hour time difference between Jalalabad, Afghanistan and Washington, DC. There is a half hour time difference between Jalalabad and Abbottabad, Pakistan. So, if it is 2300 hours in Jalalabad it is 2330 in Abbotabad and 1430 hours in Washington, DC.

2. The distance from Jalalabad, Afghanistan to Abbottabad, Pakistan is 160 miles.

3. The distance from Jalalabad, Afghanistan to Kabul, Afghanistan (location of Bagram AFB) is 75 miles.

4. The distance from Kabul, Afghanistan to the USS Carl Vinson was at least 725 miles. (Use the distance from Kabul to Karachi and Kabul to Gwadar as distance benchmarks.)

4. A Blackhawk helicopter key performance capabilities:

Maximum speed: 159 kn (183 mph, 295 km/h)
Cruise speed: 150 kn (173 mph, 278 km/h)
Combat radius: 368 mi (320 nmi, 592 km)
Ferry range: 1,380 mi[113] (1,200 nmi, 2,220 km) with ESSS stub wings and external tanks[116]
Service ceiling: 19,000 ft (5,790 m)

5. A V-22 Osprey’s key performance capabilities are:

Maximum speed: 250 knots (463 km/h, 288 mph) at sea level / 305 kn (565 km/h; 351 mph) at 15,000 ft (4,600 m)[141]
Cruise speed: 241 knots (277 mph, 446 km/h) at sea level
Range: 879 nmi (1,011 mi, 1,627 km)
Combat radius: 390 nmi (426 mi, 722 km)
Ferry range: 1,940 nmi (2,230 mi, 3,590 km) with auxiliary internal fuel tanks
Service ceiling: 25,000 ft (7,620 m)

6. Sunrise in Kabul on 2 May 2011–4:58 AM

OK, ready?

Let’s use Nick Schmidle’s chronology and supplement it with what we know from the public record.

1. 2230 hours Jalalabad, Afghanista = 1400 hours in Washington, DC, Obama arrives the White House:

Obama returned to the White House at two o’clock, after playing nine holes of golf at Andrews Air Force Base. The Black Hawks departed from Jalalabad thirty minutes later.

2. 2300 hours Jalalabad, Afghanistan equals 1430 hours in Washington, DC–Black Hawks lift off.

Shortly after eleven o’clock on the night of May 1st, two MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters lifted off from Jalalabad Air Field, in eastern Afghanistan, and embarked on a covert mission into Pakistan to kill Osama bin Laden

3. 0030 hours (2 May 2011) Jalalabad, Afghanistan equals 1600 hours (1 May 2011) Washington, DC–The flight from Jalalabad to Abbottabad took 90 minutes per Schmidle:

During the ninety-minute helicopter flight, James and his teammates rehearsed the operation in their heads.

4. 0110 hours (2 May 2011) Jalalabad, Afghanistan equals 1640 hours (1 May 2011) Washington, DC–Time on ground in Abbottabad to kill Bin Laden and recover body:

After thirty-eight minutes inside the compound, the two SEAL teams had to make the long flight back to Afghanistan.

5. 0135 hours (2 May 2011) Jalalabad, Afghanistan equals 1705 hours (1 May 2011) Washington, DC–Black Hawk refueled on ground for 25 minutes:

The Black Hawk was low on gas, and needed to rendezvous with the Chinook at the refuelling point that was near the Afghan border—but still inside Pakistan. Filling the gas tank took twenty-five minutes.

6. 0305 hours (2 May 2011) Jalalabad, Afghanistan equals 1835 hours (1 May 2011) Washington, DC–Helicopters land at Jalalabad with Bin Laden’s body.

The helicopters landed back in Jalalabad around 3 A.M.; McRaven and the C.I.A. station chief met the team on the tarmac. A pair of SEALs unloaded the body bag and unzipped it so that McRaven and the C.I.A. officer could see bin Laden’s corpse with their own eyes. Photographs were taken of bin Laden’s face and then of his outstretched body.

7. 0515 hours (2 May 2011) equals 2045 hours (1 May 2011) Washington, DC. Note, Schmidle was given very few details on the DNA/forensic exam of Bin Laden’s body. But, per Schmidle, the body remained on the ground until at least 0515 hours local. Why? Sunrise on Jalalabad on 2 May was 0458 hours.

At dawn, bin Laden was loaded into the belly of a flip-wing V-22 Osprey, accompanied by a JSOC liaison officer and a security detail of military police. The Osprey flew south, destined for the deck of the U.S.S. Carl Vinson—a thousand-foot-long nuclear-powered aircraft carrier sailing in the Arabian Sea, off the Pakistani coast.

The flight time from Kabul/Jalalabad to the US aircraft carrier Carl Vinson was a minimum of 2 hours and 45 minutes. That is assuming a nap of the earth flight route over Pakistan, which reduces air speed but also reduces the chance of being detected by radar and intercepted. Alternative possibility? Generals Pasha and Kiyani blessed the flight. Another possibility? The flight never happened. But let’s go with the Obama team’s account. Osama Bin Laden’s body ostensibly was flown to the Carl Vinson. That means the Osprey V-22 carrying the body arrived around 0800 hours Jalalabad time on Monday, 2 May 2011. In Washington, DC that is 2330 hours.

Given this timeline it is highly unlikely that Osama was actually given a formal burial at sea. I have heard via friends in the SEAL community that the body was dumped overland in the mountains. It also is possible that he was dumped at sea. However, we were told that the Pakistanis were not witting off this operation and that we overflew Pakistan three times without permission. The last time was a 700 plus mile flight carrying the body from Jalalabad/Bagram to a USS carrier off of the coast of Pakistan.

But at this point, some five hours after the raid in Abbottabad, the Pakistanis have been alerted about our attack. A country in this circumstance normally goes on high alert. So Barack and his team want us to buy the fiction that a now alert Pakistan would blithely accept the overflight of another US military aircraft? Nope. Either the flight did not happen or Pasha and Kiyani were helping pave the way. It is too risky to send a slow flying V-22 over hostile territory after an enemy has been alerted.

I also reiterate the odd fact that not a single sailor who was on board the Carl Vinson came forward with any photos of the dramatic at sea burial of America’s arch enemy. At 0800 hours a US aircraft carrier is fully awake and firing on all cylinders. This part of the story makes no sense.

Anyway, the good news remains–Bin Laden is dead and his body has been consumed by some wild critters. Just don’t know if they are land based or sea based. In any event, Zed is dead baby. Zed is dead.

  • Anonymous

    “I also reiterate the odd fact that not a single sailor who was on board the Carl Vinson came forward with any photos of the dramatic at sea burial of America’s arch enemy. At 0800 hours a US aircraft carrier is fully awake and firing on all cylinders. This part of the story makes no sense.”
    _________________________________________________

    I asked someone who was a doctor aboard an aircraft carrier and played devils advocate by asking is it possible that, except for a handful of essential personnel, can the entire crew be brought below deck and out of sight of a helcopter landing on the Carl Vinson and unaware of the burial ceremony?

    He laughed. And then said, “Any idea how many people we’re talking about?”

    I tried.

  • Anonymous

    Thanks again Larry, for this absolutely fascinating timeline.  The burial at sea business is a real puzzler.  It would seem that there should be an awful lot of people on board the Carl Vinson who would know the truth, one way or the other.  If it is a fabricated story, the fabricators went to a lot of effort to fake details.  Here is the ABC News account, posted on 5-2-11:

    “Video of Osama bin Laden’s
    dead body being dropped into the North Arabian Sea from the USS Carl
    Vinson early this morning could be made public, according to officials.

    The 40-minute ceremony, and perhaps photos of his corpse, will be
    released “cautiously,” according to The Associated Press, citing two
    Pentagon officials…..More details:
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/osama-bin-laden-sea-burial-video-released/story?id=13508657

    Of course, no such video was ever released, to my knowledge….Why not?  Anyone know for sure?  Of course, maybe something may have been dumped into the water and filmed in a “40 minute ceremony.” 

    • http://noquarterusa.net Larry Johnson

      Note, if there was a “40 minute” ceremony, that event was till underway and the body had not been dumped while Obama was addressing the nation.  Good catch.

      • Anonymous

        From the article cited above:

        “The corpse was taken to the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, officials told ABC News. The ceremony, done according to Islamic law, began about 1:10 a.m. today EST and lasted about 45 minutes, according to officials. Traditional washing of the body was followed by wrapping in white
        sheets. A military officer read religious remarks that were translated by a native Arabic speaker, then bin Laden was eased into the sea.”

        • Anonymous

          Just curious, why would religious remarks have to be translated into Arabic. Doesn’t Allah speak English too?? And given that Bin Ladin was dead, and consequently deaf, it wouldn’t matter to him what language it was in.

          • Anonymous

            Probably for the inspirational video–otherwise they would have to provide subtitles for the Arabic speaking world….

          • Teresa

            and it would not matter to any muslims on the boat since they also obviously speak english.

  • Anonymous

    I believe I mentioned something about this at the time, but thanks Larry for a much more detailed timeline.

  • Anonymous

    here is a timeline I cannot grasp more than the ones mentioned in Larry’s article, that all make sense.

    Bin Ladin arrived in Afgan at 3AM Afgan time (6:30pm est) and leaves around 5:15AM (8:45pm est) to the carrier to arrive around 8AM afgan time (11:35pm est) Now Obama gave his speech at 11:35PM (8AM Afgan time) Yet ABC said Osama was buried at sea at around 1AM EST that is 9:30AM Afgan time after a 45 minute ceremony, making the ceremony start at 8:45AM Afgan time (12:15AM EST), 30 minutes after Obama finished his address to the nation.

    Now Obama people said that Osama was taken to sea after the muslim world refused to take his body!

    So we are to believe that in 2 hours or so (between 3AM and 5AM Afgan time, 2AM and 4AM Saudi time) in the dead of the night/pre-dawn hours the Obama people contacted EVERY Muslim country to ask if they wanted Bin Ladin’s body for burial?

    Now and arguement could be made that the calling started ealier and without complete proof verified after the Seals returned to Afgan and then to believe every muslim country kept quiet before Obama makes the announcement? Doubtful!

    When the obvious is staring you right in the face it usually goes ignored!

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  • Anonymous
  • nqisfun

    If you are so certain of you conclusions, why don’t you write a larger article and get it published in the larger media or write book about it. I am sure there are plenty who would like to read it.

    End of the day both you and Nick Schmidle are just speculating, as neither of you were there. 

    Lets send a link to Nick Schmidle and see what he says about your piece.

    Again, I am not sure what all this has to do with Obama.

    • http://noquarterusa.net Larry Johnson

      No, I have actually talked to folks involved with the op.  They tell me the ship burial is a bullshit story.

      • nqisfun

        Interesting stuff…. this is the original reason I came to NQ for the first time about +4 years ago.

      • nqisfun

        Interesting stuff…. this is the original reason I came to NQ for the first time about +4 years ago.

      • nqisfun

        I would suspect they may have faked the burial of sea, as they wanted to make it seem like Osama had a proper burial, as not to offend Muslims and to stop anyone from actually going to look for a land burial site so it does not become a martyr site..

      • nqisfun

        I would suspect they may have faked the burial of sea, as they wanted to make it seem like Osama had a proper burial, as not to offend Muslims and to stop anyone from actually going to look for a land burial site so it does not become a martyr site..

    • AC

      End of the day both you and Nick Schmidle are just speculating, as neither of you were there. 
      ****************
      And neither was Obama

  • Anonymous

    One more question as to the writer of the article. The New Yorker says the reporter got access to the information through his father, a general. What I want to know is what sort of security clearance does the kid have to be able to share access to top secret information? And why isn’t the general being reprimanded for allowing a person without clearance access to top secret information? I know a lot of it has been released by the administration, but that doesn’t change the fact that someone without clearance was allowed access to information that they should not have had. It begs the question, who else gets access to top secret information without the requisite clearances?

  • Anonymous

    Larry –   

    Enjoyed the timeline!  And couldn’t help hearing the music to “mission Impossible” in the background.

    One question though —  Who or what is Zed?

    • Anonymous

      Well, being the scholarly sort, I did some academic research.  Consider: especially, definition 1:
      http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=zed+is+dead

      Also, there is this bit of pop culture:
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7Yp2L6c2KM

      • Anonymous

        Too funny.  Thanks oowawa!  I haven’t seen a zombie since my teens years watching late night Creature Features Movies.

    • http://noquarterusa.net Larry Johnson

      In the movie, PULP FICTION, Bruce Willis kills a sexual deviant named Zed.  He takes Zed’s motorcycle and picks up  his girlfriend, who asks Bruce about the motor cycle (a chopper).  She asks, “Where’s Zed?”  Bruce replies, “Zed’s dead, baby.  Zed’s dead.”

  • bellecat

    And exactly what proof and/or evidence you have that the OBL is really dead? or he may have died long ago; the way events and history is manipulated by those in power never ceased. Remeber the “weapons of mass destruction”?

  • bellecat

    Thank you Larry for taking the time to analize the events and bring some light to their lies.

  • Anonymous

    I operate on the principle that anything Obama says is a lie. Hasn’t let me down yet.

  • Anonymous

    Larry, I see that the old habits of analysis, specifically timelining, die hard.  But you’re wrong about where Bin Laden’s body is.  Actually, he’s been ground up and is being used to fertilize a pot farm in Northern California.  I don’t smoke the stuff, but some who do tell me that it’s good shit.

  • Jeff

    Anyone that believes that they just got Osama is a poor student of true history and needs to study more and write less.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_LJJL7YUEGHHUIFLT6AYWY5CC4E Dbeez1252

    I said this when it happened: Obama had NOTHING to do with the Bin Laden mission. Not only did he not order it, he never even knew about it. It was largely the work of then CIA Director Leon Panetta and Gen. David Petraeus. HRC and Gates were also brought in on the plan before hand; they pledged support if the plan went wrong. The entire US Military was ordered to ignor any and all orders coming from the White House. Everyone was told to obey only the orders of the CIA Director until the mission was complete. It went down when Obama was on the golf course. He knew NOTHING about it until he came to the White House and met the cabinet which announced that the mission was complete and successful. Everyone was congratulaing Panettta, except Valerie Jarrett who was screaming “chain of command … chain of command … until (I’m told) Gen. Petraeus said to her, “you’re not in the chain of command.” Then the President was handed a script to read on TV. He NEVER authorized this mission because Jarrett would never approve it, so Panetta launched it secretly on his own authority. Thems the facts. Deal with it.

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