This is the official, latest account of what happened in bin Laden's compound:

[Poll_Blind]

Via CNN. This is a press release from the US government and does not need to be redacted. From yesterday's press conference:

On orders of the President, a small U.S. team assaulted a secure compound in an affluent suburb of Islamabad to capture or kill Osama bin Laden.

The raid was conducted with U.S. military personnel assaulting on two helicopters. The team methodically cleared the compound moving from room to room in an operation lasting nearly 40 minutes. They were engaged in a firefight throughout the operation and Osama Bin Laden was killed by the assaulting force.

In addition to the bin Laden family, two other families resided in the compound: one family on the first floor of the bin Laden building and one family in a second building. One team began the operation on the first floor of the bin Laden house and worked their way to the third floor; a second team cleared the separate building.

On the first floor of bin Laden’s building, two Al Qaeda couriers were killed along with a woman who was killed in cross-fire. Bin Laden and his family were found on the second and third floor of the building. There was concern that bin Laden would oppose the capture operation and indeed he resisted.

In the room with bin Laden, a woman – bin Laden’s wife – rushed the U.S. assaulter and was shot in the leg but not killed. Bin Laden was then shot and killed. He was not armed.

Following the firefight, the non-combatants were moved to a safe location as the damaged helicopter was detonated.

The team departed the scene via helicopter to the USS Carl Vinson in the North Arabian Sea.

Aboard the USS Carl Vinson, the burial of bin Laden was done in conformance with Islamic precepts and practices. The deceased's body was washed and then placed in a white sheet. The body was placed in a weighted bag; a military officer read prepared religious remarks, which were translated into Arabic by a native speaker. After the words were complete, the body was placed on a prepared flat board, tipped up, and the deceased body eased into the sea.

Now today you may have read about a bin Laden compound awash with firearms, women suspected to be wearing suicide vests and a whole host of other claims made by anonymous sources. If the White House wants to put out another narrative (the above is their second, updated version) then they would hold another news conference.

I'm noticing some people are not aware of some of the basic facts, even as described by the government. Above is the entirety of the narrative as it currently stands.

PB

[MineralMan]

1. And there it is. That should put an end to all the speculations

and outright untruths that are circulating. I know that it won't but it should. It's a perfectly logical description of what happened.

Thanks for posting.

[Fool Count]

2. It may be logical, but it is still incomplete.

For instance, when they say that US personnel "were in a firefight", do they mean that there was return fire directed at them or they did all the shooting?
It is unclear, and it is also unclear if this lack of clarity is intentional. Also, they do not say how exactly did bin Laden resist. Why not? Those are just two
of several unanswered questions. Do they really expect us not to ask them? Do they plan to ignore them when they are asked? If not, why not answer
them immediately?

[Jack Sprat]

10. The job was done.

News media were all racing to get a scoop on a huge story. All the facts weren't in, so mistakes were made in the early reports. Not surprising. In the mayhem inside the compound, each set of team members were assigned different areas. Not even they could account for all that happened during the 45 minutes. When a car accident occurs and you were a witness, you begin to question yourself as to what you really saw. It's not all neat and clean. You strain to remember the best as you can, but it all happened so quick. There is far too much second guessing by media and citizens alike. You can bet it was chaotic in the those mad minutes. I'm sure people may learn more in time, but everybody wants every detail right this minute.

[EFerrari]

12. They also don't address the issue of how many bodies they took with them.

Their account implies one; another report says two. Which is it?

[tekisui]

15. At least one report says one dead man and one man alive.

[coalition_unwilling]

13. And what, pray tell, were those 'orders' exactly?

I'm thinking specifically of whether Obama issued orders to 'kill' OBL, as several reports have intimated.

[Hissyspit]

3. You weren't there.

You don't know.

[MineralMan]

7. You're quite correct. I don't believe I ever implied that I was.

Thanks for your comment. I will accept the official accounts of this action, and expect them to change as the debriefing of the team members proceeds.

Before long, we'll have a clear picture of what happened, and from the people who were there. Those I will believe.(Note: the italics are for emphasis.)

[Hissyspit]

8. There is the official account, ending speculation, but we have to wait for a clear picture?

o.k...

[Amonester]

18. Hollywood's probably gonna make a movie about it.

If that movie's made (in a few years, maybe), I hope they won't mess it too much.

Why is it so important to know ALL the details about what happened and who did what NOW?

I think it doesn't matter. What is done is done. Be patient?

[peace4ever]

5. until they change it

again

[Enrique]

9. an official statement can do that?

official statements are infallible and totally trustworthy?

I guess we don't need journalists anymore, we can just go to the government for the truth.

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Uzybone]

6. you know the military has planes tright?

[underpants]

11. Great operation.

Well done. :patriot:

[4nic8em]

14. After absorbing all of the individual media reports

of the events at Bin Ladens compound, here are some of the facts which I have garnished to date:

After the SEAL team landed, they encountered 2 AK toting Pakistani men accompanied by no less than 6 squirrel monkeys who scattered immediately causing one of the women (who was painting her toenails out on the pool deck) to trip, which startled Osama while he was saddling his zebra because he wanted to run to the tastee freeze for a mocha deluxe. No, No wait...

After the commandos entered the upstairs bedroom (believed to be Osamas), a badger, or a single wombat (facts a little cloudy) grabbed one of the coffee mugs (still hot on the nightstand next to the bed) and threw it out the window and into one of the helicopters intakes causing it to crash...No, wait, Hold on just a second...

Osama and the seven dwarfs were staying up late watching Charlie Sheen and Donald Trump talk about birth certificates and such, when all of a sudden, a bunch of men ran inside with guns and started making popcorn and dancing the "Dougie". Osamas 19 year old son got pissed and threw a bottle of Cerveza at one of the women who shot herself in the leg and got really really mad because she had to stop folding laundry. hold on, damn it...

You get my point...

This was a SEAL team, we all know what they do (and they do it very well). This was a "sweep and clear" event, plain and simple, wait and see...

Synopsis: Sumbitch is dead...end of story.

[Canuckistanian]

16. Wait a minute. "Firefight"?

Who was shooting back? I heard from news reports that NO WEAPONS were found in the building.

What's going on here?

[EFerrari]

17. It looks like two teams went in.

One went to clear the guest house and it took an unknown number of rounds before they got the shooter. The other team went into the main house and they didn't encounter anyone who was armed. There was no firefight per se and there was no return fire at all in the main house.

The is the last, best info I have. :)