Book : No Easy Day

Owen's book, which publisher Penguin describes as a "blow-by-blow narrative of the assault", in which 24 Navy SEALs attacked Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, killing the terrorist leader. The author, who is a former member of the SEAL Team Six, describes his young life, his early SEAL training, his other missions member's career and the extensive training, the mock up rehearsals and preparation that went on for this infamous raid on May 1 2011.

Bin Laden's Pakistani compound, which has since been demolished

The second half of the book describes the Bin Laden raid.  There was no extended firefight as the team worked its way to Bin Laden’s room.  The sequence of events presented by Owen show that there was no intent to capture anyone living at the compound alive.  Women and youngsters were killed during the raid.  Bin Laden is shot at medium range without being fully ID’d – guilty of being a man on the third floor of the compound – and then again at point blank range a few times to make sure he’s absolutely dead. Two guns were found nearby but he was unarmed.

The whole operation took 40 minutes, 10 minutes longer than planned. The team from a second helicopter landed outside the compound instead of on the roof as planned because they had seen the other aircraft crash. That team then used a breaching charge to blow open a metal door only to be confronted with a brick wall that delayed their entry into the compound.

 The structure was located at the end of a dirt road just 0.8 miles (1.3 km) southwest of the Pakistan Military Academy in Bilal Town, Abbottabad, Pakistan, a suburban town housing retired military officers.

The cast of characters is lovingly presented – from the other members of the SEAL family to the female CIA analyst who’s dedicated her young life to finding Osama Bin Laden. She had told the US Navy Seals who risked their lives in the raid that she was “100 per cent” sure Osama bin Laden was hiding in the compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan

Commandos blew up one of the 2 helicopters used in the military operation against Osama bin Laden after it crashed. It was destroyed but the tail section, below, survived.