Ask the Author Live: Nicholas Schmidle on the Osama bin Laden Raid

This week in the magazine, Nicholas Schmidle writes about the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound. On Wednesday, Schmidle answered readers’ questions in a live chat. Read a transcript of the discussion below.

NICHOLAS SCHMIDLE: Hi everyone, looking forward to the discussion

QUESTION FROM GUEST: A senior Pakistani intelligence official has told the Guardian that Osama bin Laden’s 12-year-old daughter watched as her father was shot dead by American special forces. He also said that Bin Laden’s son’s, Hamza’s body was also taken by the US special forces? Did you get any information on these issues?

NICHOLAS SCHMIDLE: I tried to confirm who the other individuals were inside the room with Bin Laden. Unfortunately, the only person whose identity we could confirm was Amal, Bin Laden’s youngest wife.

No one from the compound besides Bin Laden was taken in the helicopters

QUESTION FROM JONATHAN: How did you work with the US officials (or did you?) to ensure that none of the published information was classified or could endanger future operations of operatives?

NICHOLAS SCHMIDLE: Over the course of both reporting and fact-checking the piece, very senior officials had an opportunity to review claims/discoveries/revelations that we would be making.

QUESTION FROM BON: Great story and very well written. Any idea on any specifics of the intel gathered?

NICHOLAS SCHMIDLE: There has been some fantastic reporting done about both the intelligence that led the CIA to the compound in Abbottabad and the intelligence they recovered from the house. The question of “sources and methods” is a closely guarded one and I don’t know anything more specific than what was reported in the piece (largely gathered from other great reporting)

QUESTION FROM PAU: To what extent were the people involved in the operation (political and senior military officials), concerned about the consequences with Pakistan’s relations? Did they think that they could worsen? Greetings from Barcelona.

NICHOLAS SCHMIDLE: I don’t think anyone (political or military officials) is prepared to diminish the importance of good relations with the Pakistani government. But whereas cross-border missions in the past had been scrapped at the last minute because of concerns how they might impact the stability of the regime in Islamabad (during the time of President Musharraf), I think this operation shows that that concern is not as paramount as it once was

QUESTION FROM NIKITA: Did Cairo ever go into the house, or did he stay in the street with Ahmed the entire duration of the mission? Also, were you able to interview the Seal Team Six team members directly or did you hear their recollections through other sources?

NICHOLAS SCHMIDLE: Cairo never did go into the house but rather stayed “on watch” the whole time. And I talked to a number of people who were intimately involved in the raid, though none of the 23 SEALs who were on the ground in Abbottabad that evening

QUESTION FROM EDWARD: Are you aware of any actions taken by the U.S. to ensure that those Pakistanis who co-operated with them (e.g. the doctor who administered vaccines) were not mistreated by Pakistani authorities after their arrests?

NICHOLAS SCHMIDLE: Good question Edward. I’m not aware of actions taken one way or another.

QUESTION FROM NATHAN: Fascinating and insightful article. Thank you. There were several interesting moments in your piece where more light was shed. For me, these included Gates opposing a heli assault, or the fact that there were several seals involved in both the Bin Laden as well as The Phillips rescue. What, if any, were your “aha” or “wow” moments during your reporting??

NICHOLAS SCHMIDLE: Probably when I heard how the first SEAL into the room bear-hugged the two women standing in front of Bin Laden, assuming that they could be wearing suicide vests, in order to absorb the impact of any blast and to preserve the mission

QUESTION FROM GUEST: you believe the “god and country” line? too good to be true.

NICHOLAS SCHMIDLE: That line was overheard by multiple people who were listening to the radio communications that evening

QUESTION FROM SEAN: There have been conflicting reports on whether the SEALS knew if they were trying to kill Bin Ladin only once they were airbourne or before that. Also, other articles have reported that the president asked the SEALs who killed Bin Ladin, only to hear, “imagine we all did.” Where did other reporters go wrong in their pieces?

NICHOLAS SCHMIDLE: I think the reporting done on this has been great. It was crucial as I began trying to piece together parts of the story that did not appear in previous reports. But being able to talk to various people who were physically present at various stages along the way was very, very helpful

QUESTION FROM STEFAN: Wonderful piece, I’ve read it several times and sent on to others. Was there any significance/rationale for the Native American code names?

NICHOLAS SCHMIDLE: I’m sure there was some rationale but I don’t know what it was. These checklists are devised each and every night and, from what I was told, follow a different theme for every mission

QUESTION FROM J: Did you visit the compound before writing the story? If yes, was there a telling detail a visitor would’ve understood about the whole story that a far-away observer and in this case reader could not? Does the White House regularly cater through Costco?

NICHOLAS SCHMIDLE: I did not visit the compound, nor am I sure how often the White House caters from Costco

QUESTION FROM GUEST: Did they snap a picture of bin laden before the fatal shots were fired?

NICHOLAS SCHMIDLE: They did not. It was a matter of seconds between the time they entered the room and the time they shot Bin Laden

QUESTION FROM GUEST: Does it appear that bin Laden had any exit plan, or at least a plan to take any assailants with him? Or was he growing complacent and assuming he’d never be found?

NICHOLAS SCHMIDLE: The possible existence of tunnels underneath the compound was apparently something seriously considered during the planning stages. Ultimately, it was determined that the water table was only about a foot below the surface, something that all but ruled out a tunnel getaway.

QUESTION FROM GUEST: Go JMU! Will any satellite pictures be released of Bin Laden pacing the yard?

NICHOLAS SCHMIDLE: I would seriously doubt it. In response to the question asked earlier, this falls under the “sources and methods” category that the CIA is extremely careful to protect

QUESTION FROM HAYES: Any idea what Obama and the rest were watching at the exact time that photo was taken of them all looking at a screen in the White House?

NICHOLAS SCHMIDLE: We know that they were watching the aerial footage of the compound but I don’t know what was happening at precisely that minute

QUESTION FROM LARN: What was the most surprising thing you learned from researching and reporting on the story?

NICHOLAS SCHMIDLE: Perhaps the fact that this mission was just one of thirteen conducted that evening. It was unquestionably of greater strategic value than the other twelve, or perhaps any of the thousands that have been conducted across the region over the past nine years, but it was nonetheless not a particularly difficult one—by their standards

QUESTION FROM KUMRU TOKTAMIS: During the planning and preparations stage, was there anyone worried about/prepared for being detected by the Pakistani forces? You say the SEALS were on the compound for 18 minutes; how long were they on or over actual Pakistani soil?

NICHOLAS SCHMIDLE: Definitely. That was a major concern. There was a debate about what the team would do if Pakistani security forces responded, with some folks advocating they bunker down and let diplomatic channels take over. Obama, on the other hand, wanted them to be able to “fight their way out.”
All told, they were inside Pakistan for a little less than four hours.

QUESTION FROM GUEST: Why would the president be worried about detection of the Helis if these missions are so common? Wouldn’t the Pakistani authorities just assume it was another normal mission?

NICHOLAS SCHMIDLE: Sorry, I should clarify this. The 38 minutes that the team spent on the compound in Abbottabad was not particularly exceptional. Penetrating that far deep into Pakistani territory, however, was unprecedented

NICHOLAS SCHMIDLE: Excellent question. A number of people claimed that the SEALs had removed the American flags from their uniforms though those closed to the operation strongly disputed this

QUESTION FROM ROGER: Did the Pakistanis ever actually “return” the tail of the down helo??

NICHOLAS SCHMIDLE: I was told that the tail has been returned

QUESTION FROM KWAME: The soldier who grabbed bin Laden’s wives: Was it decided before the raid who would do that or was it instinct?

NICHOLAS SCHMIDLE: They didn’t know exactly what they would find inside the house. Remember that there was no floor plan to go by and they also weren’t 100 percent sure of who would be inside the house. So they rehearsed possibilities and contingencies but I think they were reacting as people/events inside the house presented themselves

QUESTION FROM BILL: Were you surprised by the relative lack of security in and around the compound? Granted, bin Laden may have become less paranoid as time went on (as you mentioned) and he may have wanted to maintain a low profile, but having very few defenses from this kind of an attack in addition to leaving treasure troves of Al Qaeda intelligence in the form of digital media unsecured in and around the compound seems a little odd for the most wanted man in the world, no?

NICHOLAS SCHMIDLE: I think everyone was somewhat surprised by the fact that there was not a large security force surrounding Bin Laden. By the same token, keeping the number of people around him small limited the chance of his presence being exposed. So it was a double-edge sword

QUESTION FROM ERIN SIMPSON: There were a lot of accusations on Twitter this morning that you mislead readers—implying you spoke to Team members by using direct quotes. How do you respond to such questions?

NICHOLAS SCHMIDLE: Hi Erin. Good question. I’ll just say that the 23 SEALs on the mission that evening were not the only ones who were listening to their radio communications.

NICHOLAS SCHMIDLE: Thanks everyone for sticking around. This has been fun. Thanks for your interest in the article!

THE NEW YORKER: Thanks to readers. And thank you, Nicholas Schmidle.

Photoillustration by John Ritter.