An intimate account of the bin Laden operation – from the time the crucial intelligence was gathered through the
burial at sea. Explore the details of how the operation was planned and executed, and see through the eyes of the
highly-trained Seal Team 6
On May 2, 2011, Barack Obama, the US president, announced that Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaeda leader, was shot dead in a raid by US special forces on a compound about 60km north of Islamabad, Pakistan’s capitall
“When he looked me in the eyes to answer my questions, he sounded like an old uncle telling a story.”
John Miller, former ABC News reporter
The death of bin Laden ends a ten-year manhunt for the world’s most wanted man.
Before his death, the last known sighting of bin Laden by anyone other than his very close entourage was in late 2001 – as he prepared to flee his stronghold in Afghanistan. However, in subsequent years he issued several video and audio messages.
How did Bin Laden develop his political agenda? And how did this Saudi-born son of a rich construction magnate – who joined guerrillas in Afghanistan fighting the Soviet Union – emerge to become one of the most feared men in the world?
Ahmad Zaidan, Al Jazeera Arabic’s Islamabad correspondent, interviews a range of people including Taliban commandos, former Mujahideen leaders, Pakistani officials, and journalists who all relate their memories of and insights into the al-Qaeda leader.
He speaks to people who are able to debunk some of the myths and describe some of the characteristics of the man who was Osama bin Laden – a man denounced by enemies as a religious fanatic and a terrorist and praised by supporters as a leader fighting Western aggression and subservient Arab regimes.
Thousands of people jammed the tiny hometown of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit on Tuesday to celebrate his arrival after more than five years in the captivity of Hamas militants.
Shalit was freed hours earlier in exchange for the release of more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in the most lopsided prisoner swap in Israel’s history.
People mobbed the streets of Mitzpe Hila in northern Israel and stood on rooftops to celebrate the 25-year-old soldier’s return. The ecstatic crowd sang songs, waved Israeli flags, popped champagne bottles, embraced and cheered him on. A smiling Shalit briefly waved to the crowd before ducking into his family’s house. Police blocked access to the street to give the family privacy.
Jubilant Palestinian families held similar celebrations after 477 Palestinian prisoners, including 27 women, were released from Israeli jails. Some were returned to their homes in the West Bank; others were to be deported to Gaza, Egypt or other Arab states. An additional 550 prisoners are slated to be released in two months to complete the swap, which Hamas deems a major victory.
Shalit was captured in June 2006 during a cross-border raid by Palestinian militants who tunneled under Israel’s border with Gaza.
Looking thin and walking slowly, he emerged from a pickup truck Tuesday under the escort of masked Hamas captors and was handed over to Egyptian mediators who helped arrange his release. Shalit was then transferred to Israeli custody and flown by military helicopter to an air base in central Israel where he reunited with family.
In an interview with Egyptian TV minutes after his release, an ashen-faced Shalit struggled to breathe as he said he had feared he would remain in captivity for “many more years.” He said he was very excited to be headed home and that he missed his family and friends.
“I hope this deal will promote peace between Israel and the Palestinians,” he said.
Doctors at the Tel Nof military base near Tel Aviv said Shalit showed signs of malnutrition and lack of exposure to the sun, according to an Israeli official.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who hosted the Tel Nof reunion, said he understood the pain of Israeli families who lost relatives in Palestinian violence but added that Israel’s ethos of doing everything possible to bring its soldiers home safely forced him to act.
Netanyahu also issued a staunch warning to the freed militants: “We will continue to fight terror and every released terrorist who returns to terror will be held accountable.”
‘A Day of Happiness’ For Palestinians
Before dawn, convoys of white vans and trucks transported hundreds of Palestinian prisoners to locations in the West Bank and on the Israel-Egypt border.
NPR’s Peter Kenyon, reporting from the West Bank city of Ramallah, said thousands of people had gathered at the Palestinian Authority headquarters, many singing and chanting and waving the green and white flag of Hamas.
“Today is a day of happiness for families, it’s a day of popularity for Hamas and a day when everyone seems to be talking about resisting the occupation as opposed to negotiating,” Kenyon said. “We’re seeing prisoners, some of whom have been in jail for decades, carried on the shoulders of their cousins and nephews. Tearful mothers and sisters are embracing them, and then they are heading home to their villages, where the celebrations will start in earnest.”
Fakhri Barghout, 57, was carried on the shoulders of one man and was surrounded by chanting relatives. Sentenced to life for killing an Israeli, Barghouti had spent 34 years in prison, making him one of the longest-serving inmates.
“There will be no happiness as long as our brothers are still in jail,” he said. “I can’t feel good when I’m leaving my brothers behind.”
Barghouti leaves behind a son, Shadi, who is serving a 27-year sentence for involvement in an armed group and at one point shared his father’s cell.
“We’re so excited we can barely breathe,” Mariam Shkair told The Associated Press. She was waiting for her brother, 52-year-old Abdel Latif, who spent 25 years in prison for killing an Israeli soldier. “We are waiting to hug him.”
The president gave us a mission and we delivered on it. This success is a testament I think to our great skill, great creativity, and perseverance, and really the courage of hundreds of Agency officers over the last nearly 10 years. You never lost focus. You never lost determination. You never lost faith that we would ultimately tighten the net around Bin Ladin and ultimately rid the world of the most infamous terrorist in our time.”
—CIA Director Leon E. Panetta, May 2, 2011
Al-Qa’ida leader Usama Bin Ladin was killed when a U.S. strike team stormed his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in the early hours of May 2nd. The operation was executed at the direction of President Obama and under the authority of CIA Director Leon E. Panetta. The raid was the culmination of many years of complex, thorough and highly advanced intelligence operations and analysis led by the CIA with support from partners across the Intelligence Community.
This page offers a sampling of Director Panetta’s remarks on the operation, key images, and comments from the public.
“Since the elimination of Usama Bin Ladin, there have been a countless amount of interviews with everyone in the administration that was involved, but by far the best one that I have seen was conducted by Brian Williams and Director Panetta. He was straight forward and a true professional. He gave credit to everyone that was involved from the very beginning since 9/11 no just to the present administration.”
“Thank you for your hard work, perseverance and dedication to our country on a job well done. I was a survivor of the attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11 and lost dear friends that day. I will never forget walking over burning debris and body parts on my way to the New York Waterway and catching the last ferry to the New Jersey side before the second plane hit. … I cannot express my gratitude and pride to all of you working at the Agency – from the bottom of my heart and the hearts of the families of the victims that day, thank you all.”
“Congratulations, Director Panetta. I wish I could shake your hand today and tell you the amount of pride I am feeling for my country, the Intelligence Community and our military. I was proud to grow up a military brat and prouder to have worn the uniform … today that pride is even greater.”
“Congratulations on your outstanding work in locating Usama Bin Ladin. You and the current organization should be recognized by a special presidential and/or congressional award, like the Medal of Honor for conspicuous outstanding service, organizational achievement, and analytical brilliance. Once his location was obtained, the military operational forces created the slam dunk that culminated in a textbook capture. … Thank you for your lifetime commitment to outstanding public service and leaving a legacy of intelligent and effective organizational management always directed for the public good.”
“Thank you very much for your efforts in effectively locating and dispatching Usama Bin Ladin. I, as an American, feel that this is a very solid win for my country. Without the noble, valiant, and courageous efforts by the men and women in the CIA, I feel that this would have never been possible. I hope to one day be able to work for an organization such as the CIA. Though some may question your ethics, values, and goals, I support them fully and outrightly. You have done very well by me. And though I am only one of 300 million in the United States, I’m still American and still indebted to you for your efforts. … I, as well as millions of others, will forever by grateful for your efforts.”
“Congratulations! The death of Usama Bin Ladin only goes to show what can be accomplished when the United States government unleashes the greatest intelligence agency in the world in conjunction with part of the most powerful military in history. … Many Americans are aware of the extent to which you all put yourselves out there every day to keep our country safe and I, for one, would just like to take a moment to say thank you! You are all amazing and I hope that this little note shows my appreciation and my thanks.”
“Congratulations on your successful mission to eliminate Usama Bin Ladin. Today all Americans are proud of your achievements, courage and perseverance. We thank all of you for your sacrifices and dedication to our security. You should all be very proud of not only this most recent success, but more importantly, your ability to keep all Americans safe in the almost 10-year span since the horrific September 11, 2001 attacks on our country. Congratulations from a grateful nation.”
“Simply want to say thank you. As a 20-year airline pilot, I have experienced the impact of terrorism. Your daily efforts, dedication, and success is greatly appreciated. I am extremely grateful for the wonderful job you have done.”
In the early morning hours of May 2nd in Pakistan, a U.S. military raid of an al-Qa’ida compound in Abbottabad killed America’s most wanted terrorist, Usama Bin Ladin.
The mission’s success was the culmination of many years of complex, thorough, and highly-advanced intelligence operations and analysis led by the CIA with support from partners across the Intelligence Community. U.S. agencies had been collecting intelligence about the compound since it was discovered in August, 2010. Multiple streams of intelligence led to the assessment that Bin Ladin was hiding there, protected by two of his closest facilitators.
The strike on the compound, authorized by the President on April 29th, was a surgical raid by a small team of special operations forces. The raid was designed to minimize collateral damage and to pose as little risk as possible to non-combatants on the compound or to Pakistani civilians in the neighborhood.
The compound where Bin Ladin was hiding is in Abbottabad, a town in Pakistan’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province (formerly the Northwest Frontier Province), about 35 miles north of Islamabad. The compound and its main residence had extensive security features: high walls topped with barbed wire, double entry gates, opaque windows, no apparent Internet or telephone connection, and the residents burned their trash. It was valued at $1 million, but the two al-Qa’ida facilitators who owned it had no apparent source of wealth. For an illustration of the compound, click here.
The death of Usama Bin Ladin marks the single greatest victory in the U.S.-led campaign to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al-Qa’ida. It is a major and essential step in bringing about the terrorist organization’s eventual dissolution.
Bin Ladin was al-Qa’ida’s founder and only amir, or commander, in its 22-year history. He was largely responsible for the organization’s mystique, its ability to raise money and attract new recruits, and its focus on the United States as a target for terrorist attacks. As the only al-Qa’ida leader whose authority was universally respected, he also maintained the group’s cohesion.
Although al-Qa’ida may not fragment immediately, the loss of Bin Ladin puts the deadly organization on a path of decline that will be difficult to reverse.
