Reports Surface That Pakistan Let China See SEAL Team 6 Helicopter

After taking down the world's most wanted man, U.S. Navy SEALs had to leave behind a downed modified Black Hawk helicopter while quickly exiting the Abottabad compound of Osama bin Laden. Livid that the U.S. carried out the raid without first notifying Islamabad, Pakistani officials quickly secured the bin Laden compound and all evidence left behind following the top-secret U.S. mission. The Financial Times is now reporting that Pakistan has allowed Chinese military engineers to photograph and take samples from the remains of the top-secret stealth helicopter that the Americans left behind:

"'The US now has information that Pakistan, particularly the ISI, gave access to the Chinese military to the downed helicopter in Abbottabad,' said one person in intelligence circles, referring to the Pakistani spy agency. The Chinese engineers were allowed to survey the wreckage and take photographs of it, as well as take samples of the special 'stealth' skin that allowed the American team to enter Pakistan undetected by radar, he said.

President Barack Obama's national security council had been discussing this incident and trying to decide how to respond, said the situation 'doesn't make us happy', but the administration had little recourse."

The helicopter crashed into a compound wall at onset of the Navy SEALs' May raid. After determining that the aircraft was not capable of leaving Abottabad, SEALs smashed the instruments and rigged the helicopter with explosives to eliminate any chance of leaving behind classified military technology. The Financial Times reports that the aircraft tail landed outside the compound wall intact.

Another U.S. official speaking to Reuters on the condition of anonymity, supported that there was reason to believe that Pakistan had allowed the Chinese to inspect the aircraft remains.

China, the CIA, and White House have all declined to comment on the matter. Reuters reports that Pakistan's spy agency, the Inter Services Intelligence Directorate (ISI), denied the accusation. The Financial Times reports that Pakistan's top general, chief of army staff Ashfaq Kayani, also denied that China was given access to view the wreckage.