Osama bin Laden is Dead
On May 1, 2011, President Obama announced that Osama bin Laden was killed in Pakistan as the result of a U.S. military raid. The rare, late-night broadcast came nearly 10 years after the tragic Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, which were allegedly planned by the Al Qaeda group led by Bin Laden and unleashed the beginning of a war on “terror.”
The Search
The successful mission to kill Bin Laden focused around a courier for Al Qaeda. Four years ago, detainees in U.S. custody gave information to U.S. intelligence officials about a courier who was one of the few messengers trusted by Bin Laden. The courier was also said to be a protégé of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the chief planner of the Sept. 11 attacks. Based on the information, U.S. intelligence officials recognized the courier four years ago and two years ago, they found him in Pakistan. Then in August 2010, U.S. intelligence officials found the courier’s home, a walled compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
The CIA was immediately interested in the compound because of its size. It was much larger than the properties around it: three stories high surrounded by 12 to 18 foot walls with barbed wire and a few windows. Although the compound had an estimated value of $1 million, it had no telephone or Internet, and all trash was burned on site, according to the Los Angeles Times.
After months of collecting and analyzing data, the CIA came to believe that the compound was in fact custom-built to hide a high-value terrorist target and possibly Osama bin Laden, the world’s most-wanted man.
After a fifth meeting with his national security advisors in the White House Diplomatic Room, President Obama gave the green light early Friday morning to attack the compound.
The Raid
On Sunday, May 1, the helicopter-borne team of special forces, including Navy SEALS, attacked the compound. The raid lasted around 40 minutes. When American forces attacked the compound, Bin Laden reportedly “resisted the assault force” and was killed in what the president described as a firefight.
Later that day, DNA tests confirmed Bin Laden was one of the dead. Bin Laden’s death was also confirmed by a Pakistani intelligence official in Islamabad. Others killed in the raid were the courier, his brother, one of Bin Laden’s sons, and a woman who was later identified as one of Bin Laden’s wives.
According to reports, no Americans were injured in the attack.
His Burial
After the intense gun battle and killing of Bin Laden, American forces took custody of his body. Although Muslim custom requires proper burial within 24 hours, American authorities dropped Bin Laden’s body in the ocean.
The Aftermath
Many Americans saw Bin Laden’s death as a historical moment in the war against terror. As news of Bin Laden’s death reached Americans late Sunday night, the media captured a cheery crowd outside the White House. Jubilant crowds were also gathered in Times Square and at the ground zero site. Social media sites were flooded with comments reflecting American pride, victory and joy.
But, considering the timing of the announcement, just four months before the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, the nation prepared for more attacks at home. The State Department announced a worldwide travel warning and military bases were ordered to a higher state of readiness.
Weeks after Bin Laden’s death, relations with Pakistan fell to their lowest point in years, according to the New York Times. Experts agreed that Bin Laden’s death was a blow for Al Qaeda, although it is unclear whether his followers will disperse or grow stronger.
Even with Bin Laden dead, President Obama confirmed that the war against terrorists had not ended.
“We will be relentless in defense of our citizens and our friends and allies,” he said. “We will be true to the values that make us who we are. And on nights like this one, we can say to those families who have lost loved ones to Al Qaeda’s terror, justice has been done.”
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