They had $60 million for a helicopter but didn't have $10 for a tape measure, according to former US President Barack Obama.
US Navy SEALs who killed Osama bin Laden in 2011, had to ask their sniper to lie down next to dead terrorist leader's body in order to confirm his identity because all they knew about their target was that he was “very tall,” Fox Business reported Wednesday.
Speaking in an interview Tuesday, retired US Admiral William McRaven, who was responsible for the operation, disclosed some details of the 2011 raid.
According to the Admiral, he had to ask his sniper — the tallest man on his team — to lie down next to the eliminated terrorist leader, in an attempt to confirm his identity. The sniper initially had a “funny look on his face,” but quickly understood why the commander gave that order and complied. The dead body was a couple of inches taller than the sniper which gave McRaven enough confidence in the target's identity to confirm the death of bin Laden before President Obama.
After McRaven explained to Obama how exactly they measured bin Laden's height, the President quipped: “Let me get this straight, Bill. You had a $60 million dollar helicopter and you didn't have $10 for a tape measure?”
The story was confirmed by Rob O'Neill — the man who is believed to have pulled the trigger.
“The tallest guy we had there was one of our snipers and I think he was 6'2” and so Admiral McRaven asked him…
