Article

2020-03-18 India-Pakistan

Pakistani F-16 "Engaged" One Of The MH-47G Chinooks Three Times During Bin Laden Raid

[TheWarZone] These details come from a new interview that also says the Obama Administration tried at least twice to capture Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.

The flight lead during the raid that led to the death of Osama Bin Laden, who was piloting one of the MH-47G Chinooks employed in that operation, says that a Pakistani F-16 Viper fighter jet "engaged" his helicopter three separate times as he flew toward Afghanistan during the exfiltration phase of the mission. The now-retired U.S. Army officer also says he was involved personally in two attempts during the Obama Administration to capture Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in Iraq. The Trump Administration decided to kill Soleimani, who had been head of Iran's Quds Force, in a drone strike in Baghdad in January.

Retired U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 Douglas Englen offered these and other previously unreported details about operations from throughout his career with the elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, also known as the Night Stalkers, in an exclusive interview with journalist and documentarian Alex Quade for Military Times, which is worth reading in its entirety. He only decided to share his personal memories after prompting from former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Leon Panetta and retired U.S. Navy Admiral William McRaven, both of whom were heavily involved in the planning execution of the raid on Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan in 2011, according to Quade.

Posted by Woodrow 2020-03-18 00:00|| E-Mail|| Front Page|| [11151 views ] Top
File under: Govt of Pakistan

#1 Very interesting. Potentially answers some of my long-held questions concerning the raid. Thanks for posting Woodrow.

Posted by Besoeker 2020-03-18 00:37|| 2020-03-18 00:37|| Front Page Top

#2 I'm surprised any site that tries to cover the US military would refer to an NCO as an "officer".

Posted by Rob Crawford 2020-03-18 00:47|| 2020-03-18 00:47|| Front Page Top

#3 ..well technically,

An American Commissioned Officer holds his/her rank by act of Congress.

An American Warrant Officer holds his/her rank by authority of the Secretary of the service.

An American Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) holds his/her rank by the Secretary or lower authority*. *See - 'Acting' as in temporary

Many American NCOs have more actual authority than many officers in other armies.

Posted by Procopius2k 2020-03-18 09:43|| 2020-03-18 09:43|| Front Page Top

#4 "engaged" Means what? Showing the boss that I'm on the ball? But forgot where the trigger is? The night stalker choppers even jam your cannon?
Flipped off?

Posted by Richard Aubrey 2020-03-18 11:47|| 2020-03-18 11:47|| Front Page Top

#5 Probably ESM warned of radar tracking.

Posted by Thorong Grundy1520 2020-03-18 12:08|| 2020-03-18 12:08|| Front Page Top

#6 Watching the pretty lights

Posted by Skidmark 2020-03-18 14:20|| 2020-03-18 14:20|| Front Page Top

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