Q: In the name Navy SEALs, what is SEAL an acronym for?
— Richard Morris, Newnan
A: The Navy's Sea, Air and Land Forces are commonly known as the SEALs, according to the Navy's website.
Q: Did our Navy SEALs discover a dialysis machine at the fortified compound? Back to when we thought the chief al-Qaida leader was hiding out in the caves of Afghanistan, I recall a Pakistani military official saying to us that he expects us to have a good chance of apprehending Osama bin Laden because he had a kidney dysfunction and needed to have access to his own kidney dialysis machine at all times.
— Marlin Knapp, Lawrenceville
A: ABC News reported that video inside the compound does not show any dialysis equipment evidence. Mary Anne Weaver, author of "Pakistan: Deep Inside the World's Most Frightening State," also told ABC News: "Despite the fact that we have all been hearing about his kidney problems and the need for dialysis, according to the intelligence people I've talked to in Washington, there was no evidence of a dialysis machine in the compound where he was found." Then-Pakistan president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, told CNN in 2002 that bin Laden took two dialysis machines into Afghanistan, but U.S. officials said there was no evidence that he required kidney dialysis and called it a "recurrent rumor."
Lori Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or e-mail q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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