Pentagon To Bin Laden Raid Leakers: SHUT UP
HUFFINGTONPOST.COM - Gossip and unauthorized leaks from U.S. officials, politicians and retired military officers about the highly classified raid to kill Osama bin Laden have jeopardized the ability of special forces to carry out similar operations in the future, said Defense Secretary Robert Gates.
"Too many people in too many places are talking too much about this operation," Gates said, adding that the level of disclosures and blabbing violates an agreement reached in the White House Situation Room on May 8 to keep details of the raid private.
"That lasted about 15 hours," Gates said sourly.
The cascade of details surfacing about the highly classified event makes similar operations in the future "that much more difficult and riskier," Gates told reporters at a Pentagon briefing Wednesday.
"It is time to stop talking," agreed Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In a pointed directive to officials, politicians and the retired military officers often featured on cable news programs, he added, "Get off the net."
Members of the Navy SEAL team that tore into bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan and killed the 9/11 mastermind had expressed concern to Gates about the safety of their families after the team had been identified publicly and officials from the White House, the Pentagon and Congress widely discussed the operation.
In a meeting with hundreds of Marines at Camp Lejeune last week, Gates acknowledged such concerns. He said the Defense Department had mounted "a consistent and effective effort" to protect the identities of those who participated in the raid. >>>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
Most Popular StoriesMost Popular StoriesMore>>
Coeur d’ Alene woman dies after driving car into Fernan Lake
Coeur d’ Alene woman dies after driving car into Fernan Lake
On Sunday at about 3:22 p.m., the Kootenai County Sheriff’s 911 Center received multiple calls after a car crashed into Fernan Lake, just east of Coeur d' Alene. The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office, Kootenai County Fire & Rescue and Kootenai County EMS responded to the 4800 Block of E. Fernan Lake Road. Emergency Public Safety Divers from the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office Dive Rescue Team were paged to the scene and about 27 minutes after the first 911 call,...
>>On Sunday at about 3:22 p.m., the Kootenai County Sheriff’s 911 Center received multiple calls after a car crashed into Fernan Lake, just east of Coeur d' Alene. The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office, Kootenai County Fire & Rescue and Kootenai County EMS responded to the 4800 Block of E. Fernan Lake Road. Emergency Public Safety Divers from the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office Dive Rescue Team were paged to the scene and about 27 minutes after the first 911 call,...
>>Spokane Japanese restaurant destroyed in early morning fire
Spokane Japanese restaurant destroyed in early morning fire
SPOKANE, Wash. - Update: Spokane firefighters say the iconic Shogun restaurant on E. 3rd Ave. appears to be a total loss after an early morning fire destroyed the building. First arriving companies found heavy fire coming through the roof of the Shogun Restaurant and immediately began to attack the fire. Despite attempts to enter the building, they were quickly forced out due to deteriorating conditions above them.
>>SPOKANE, Wash. - Update: Spokane firefighters say the iconic Shogun restaurant on E. 3rd Ave. appears to be a total loss after an early morning fire destroyed the building. First arriving companies found heavy fire coming through the roof of the Shogun Restaurant and immediately began to attack the fire. Despite attempts to enter the building, they were quickly forced out due to deteriorating conditions above them.
>>9-year-old boy dies in ATV crash near Boulder
9-year-old boy dies in ATV crash near Boulder
HELENA, Mont. (AP) - A 9-year-old boy died in an all-terrain vehicle crash on a rural road north of Boulder over the weekend. The Montana Highway Patrol says the ATV went off Sloans Lane early Sunday afternoon and tipped onto its side. The boy was thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene. His name has not been released.
>>HELENA, Mont. (AP) - A 9-year-old boy died in an all-terrain vehicle crash on a rural road north of Boulder over the weekend. The Montana Highway Patrol says the ATV went off Sloans Lane early Sunday afternoon and tipped onto its side. The boy was thrown from the vehicle and died at the scene. His name has not been released.
>>Neighbors on alert after warning about reports of dogs being stolen
Neighbors on alert after warning about reports of dogs being stolen
SPOKANE, Wash. - SCRAPS is reminding pet owners to keep an eye on their pets after they received reports of dogs being stolen from people’s backyards near Northwest Boulevard. Police have been contacted in these instances, and one woman who lives in Hillyard says it happened to her. Korinne Foote says her dog, Stitch, was in the yard on Saturday around 3 in the afternoon. She says a neighbor witnessed someone picking up the dog and putting it in her car. SCRAPS Korinne was re...
>>SPOKANE, Wash. - SCRAPS is reminding pet owners to keep an eye on their pets after they received reports of dogs being stolen from people’s backyards near Northwest Boulevard. Police have been contacted in these instances, and one woman who lives in Hillyard says it happened to her. Korinne Foote says her dog, Stitch, was in the yard on Saturday around 3 in the afternoon. She says a neighbor witnessed someone picking up the dog and putting it in her car. SCRAPS Korinne was re...
>>Colorado woman facing $500 fine for saving airline snack
Colorado woman facing $500 fine for saving airline snack
DENVER - A Colorado woman says she's facing a $500 fine from U.S. Customs and Border Patrol after she saved a free apple she received from an airline on her way home from Paris. Crystal Tadlock said flight attendants on her Delta Air Lines flight from Paris handed out apples in plastic bags near the end of the flight.
>>DENVER - A Colorado woman says she's facing a $500 fine from U.S. Customs and Border Patrol after she saved a free apple she received from an airline on her way home from Paris. Crystal Tadlock said flight attendants on her Delta Air Lines flight from Paris handed out apples in plastic bags near the end of the flight.
>>Spokane man missing after swimming at Palouse Falls
Spokane man missing after swimming at Palouse Falls
FRANKLIN COUNTY, Wash. - Franklin County Sheriff's deputies say a man from Spokane who went swimming at Palouse Falls Saturday evening got pulled into deeper water and did not surface. Deputies, fire crews, Columbia Basin Dive Rescue teams and Washington State Park Rangers responded to a call of a person who had gone into the water under Palouse Falls and had not surfaced around 5:30 p.m.
>>FRANKLIN COUNTY, Wash. - Franklin County Sheriff's deputies say a man from Spokane who went swimming at Palouse Falls Saturday evening got pulled into deeper water and did not surface. Deputies, fire crews, Columbia Basin Dive Rescue teams and Washington State Park Rangers responded to a call of a person who had gone into the water under Palouse Falls and had not surfaced around 5:30 p.m.
>>