[66], McRaven hand-picked a team drawing from the most experienced and senior operators from Red Squadron,[67] one of four that make up DEVGRU. Naval Special Warfare Development Group, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 4, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, U.S. He told al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to expand operations in the U.S. in the wake of the 2009 Christmas Day bomb plot by writing "We need to extend and develop our operations in America and not keep it limited to blowing up airplanes. "[306][307] Although some information may have been obtained from detainees who were subjected to torture, Panetta wrote to McCain that: We first learned about the facilitator/courier's nom de guerre from a detainee not in CIA custody in 2002. [62], The raid was carried out by approximately two dozen heliborne U.S. Navy SEALs from DEVGRU's Red Squadron. [32] Abu Faraj al-Libbi was captured in 2005 and transferred to Guantánamo in September 2006. Obama said he wanted to speak directly to Admiral McRaven before he gave the order to proceed. [154][155], U.S. officials said there were 22 people in the compound. It appeared to have a silver-loaded infrared suppression finish similar to some V-22 Ospreys. The SEAL team exited and needed to breach two walls and then into the house. Some Arab countries and leaders condemned the actions of the United States. "[282], Another Pakistani official stated that Pakistan "assisted only in terms of authorization of the helicopter flights in our airspace" and the operation was conducted by the United States. KBL Kill Bin Laden is a novel based on the true events surrounding Seal Team 6, actually called DEVGRU (United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group), the Rangers, Delta Force, CIA, and other supporting casts of the team which literally took Osama bin Laden (code name Crankshaft) down on … The operation to kill the world's most wanted terrorist was the result of years of planning and training. This was aggravated by higher than expected air temperature[62][81] and the high compound walls, which stopped the rotor downwash from diffusing. One neighbor said, "I saw soldiers emerging from the helicopters and advancing towards the house. [310] They helped over the course of several months to apprehend several al-Qaeda members in several countries and to kill several of bin Laden's closest associates by CIA drone attacks in Pakistan.[311]. The Defense Department rejected the request, and the AP administratively appealed. [29] The pilot quickly buried the helicopter's nose to keep it from tipping over. "[283], The Indian Minister for Home Affairs, P. Chidambaram, said that bin Laden hiding "deep inside" Pakistan was a matter of grave concern for India, and showed that "many of the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks, including the controllers and the handlers of the terrorists who actually carried out the attack, continue to be sheltered in Pakistan". The emails reveal that these Pakistani officers included "Mid to senior level ISI and Pak Mil with one retired Pak Mil General". The U.S. had supplied F-16 Fighting Falcons to Pakistan on the condition they were kept at a Pakistani military base under 24-hour U.S. [62] Bin Laden's 12-year-old daughter Safia was allegedly struck in her foot or ankle by a piece of flying debris. [174][175] In Tampa, Florida, at the conclusion of a professional wrestling event which was occurring at the time, WWE Champion John Cena announced to the audience that bin Laden had been "caught and compromised to a permanent end", prompting chants while he exited the arena to the march "The Stars and Stripes Forever". [288] Emails from the private American security firm, Stratfor, published by WikiLeaks on February 27, 2012, indicate that up to 12 officials in Pakistan's ISI knew of Osama bin Laden's Abbottabad safe house. [43] Google Earth maps made from satellite photographs show that the compound was not present in 2001 but had been built by the time that new images were taken in 2005. Conflicting reports of an initial firefight exist. [336] Pakistan and the PRC denied these claims. [238], A book published in November 2011, Seal Target Geronimo, by Chuck Pfarrer, a former SEAL, contradicted the account as given by U.S. government sources. "[1], The CIA rented a home in Abbottabad from which a team staked out and observed the compound over a number of months. Since the U.S. had helped equip and train the Pakistanis, their defensive capabilities were known. [citation needed] Because of a lack of accurate information, some of what follows cannot be verified as true. Bin Laden, the leader of the al Qaeda terrorist group and the mastermind behind the attacks, was killed in an early morning raid that day. According to The New York Times, a total of "79 commandos and a dog" were involved in the raid. [107], As the SEALs encountered women and children during the raid, they restrained them with plastic handcuffs or zip ties. [34] He told CIA interrogators that bin Laden's courier was a man named Maulawi Abd al-Khaliq Jan and denied knowing al-Kuwaiti. Obama said that he was concerned with ensuring that "very graphic photos of somebody who was shot in the head are not floating around as an incitement to additional violence, or as a propaganda tool. Presuming that one existed, 32 2,000-pound (910 kg) bombs fitted with JDAM guidance systems would be required to destroy it. One SEAL sniper fired two shots at al-Kuwaiti and the other fired two three-round bursts. [229][230] On May 9, the Department of Defense declined to process Judicial Watch's FOIA request, prompting Judicial Watch to file a federal lawsuit. Al-Qaeda's relationship with Iran was, according to the Combating Terrorism Center, an "unpleasant byproduct of necessity, fueled by mutual distrust and antagonism. [317] Bin Laden was worried at times about his personal security and was annoyed that his organization had not utilized the Arab Spring to improve its image. This remark book-ended President Bush's statement to a joint session of Congress following the September 11 attacks that "justice will be done. [317] He acted, according to The Washington Post, on the one hand as "chief executive fully engaged in the group's myriad crises, grappling with financial problems, recruitment, rebellious field managers, and sudden staff vacancies resulting from the unrelenting U.S. drone campaign",[317] and on the other hand as "a hands-on manager who participated in the terrorist group's operational planning and strategic thinking while also giving orders and advice to field operatives scattered worldwide. [205], The Guardian also quoted a U.S. official explaining the anticipated difficulty of finding a country that would accept the burial of bin Laden in its soil. Operational chief Abu Faraj al-Libi reportedly moved his family to Abbottabad in mid-2003. [124] Another member of SEAL Team Six said the story as presented in Esquire was false and "complete BS". The team in the courtyard was to enter the house from the ground floor. [66] The SEALs wore night vision goggles. [38] Arshad Khan was carrying an old, noncomputerized Pakistani identification card, which identified him as from Khat Kuruna, a village near Charsadda in northwestern Pakistan. One journalist concluded after interviewing several residents that it was a routine rolling blackout. "[61], The CIA briefed Vice Admiral William H. McRaven, the commander of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), about the compound in January 2011. [40][41] Officials surmised that he was living there with his youngest wife and family.[41]. [232] In May 2013, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit consisting of Chief Judge Merrick Garland, Senior Judge Harry T. Edwards, and Judge Judith Rogers affirmed the ruling, holding that 52 post-mortem images were properly classified as "top secret" and exempt from disclosure. [41][62][65][125], While the American force gathered intelligence and destroyed the helicopter, a crowd of locals gathered outside the compound, curious about the noise and activity. The entire operation, which lasted only 40 minutes from start to finish, was the culmination of years of calculated planning and training. The compound had no Internet or landline telephone service. In an adjoining office was the live drone feed presented on a laptop computer operated by Brigadier General Marshall Webb, assistant commander of JSOC. He expressed his opinion that killing Muslims has weakened his organization and not helped al-Qaeda, writing that it "cost the mujahedeen no small amount of sympathy among Muslims. [29] One of those claims came from Mohammed al-Qahtani, a detainee interrogated for 48 days more or less continuously between November 23, 2002, and January 11, 2003. Hillhouse's sources stated that the Pakistanis had been keeping bin Laden under house arrest near their military headquarters in Abbottabad with money provided by the Saudis. Pakistan was "in the know of certain things" and "what happened, happened with our consent. [337], U.S. military operation in Abbottabad, Pakistan, ISI walk-in places bin Laden in Abbottabad, Freedom of Information Act requests and denials, Helicopter stealth technology revelations, Previous attempts to capture or kill bin Laden, Kulish, Nicholas, Christopher Drew, and Sean D. Naylor, ". [233] Judicial Watch filed a petition for a writ of certiorari in August 2013, seeking U.S. Supreme Court review, but in January 2014 the Supreme Court declined to hear the case. [6] U.S. military officials said that after the raid U.S. forces took the body of bin Laden to Afghanistan for identification, then buried it at sea within 24 hours of his death in accordance with Islamic tradition. [3] The operation, code-named Operation Neptune Spear, was carried out in a CIA-led operation with Joint Special Operations Command, commonly known as JSOC, coordinating the Special Mission Units involved in the raid. [7], Al-Qaeda confirmed the death on May 6 with posts made on militant websites, vowing to avenge the killing. Sanger. cheers began. [219] Those supporting the release argued that the photos should be considered public records,[220][221] that they are necessary to complete the journalistic record,[222] and that they would prove bin Laden's death and therefore prevent conspiracy theories. [63], In addition to a helicopter raid, planners considered attacking the compound with B-2 Spirit stealth bombers. [329] Later, a tractor hauled it away hidden under a tarp. In September 2010, the CIA concluded that the compound was custom-built to hide someone of significance, very likely bin Laden. Ten years ago on that day, the United States conducted a raid on the Abbottabad complex in the Hazara region of Pakistan to kill/capture bin Laden. © 2021 A&E Television Networks, LLC. According to the retired senior U.S. intelligence official speaking to Hersh, bin Laden was ill at this point, financially supported by some within Saudi Arabia, and kept by the ISI to better manage their complex relationship with Pakistani and Afghan Islamist groups. To kill the world relatives were near him soldiers emerging from the Pentagon, this was done to the., 5,000 tweets per second were posted on Twitter ) rounds was indeed that of Osama bin 's. Been prouder to serve by his side as I was that day presuming that one existed, 32 2,000-pound 910! An officer read prepared religious remarks which were translated into Arabic by a strobe and. Helicopter appeared to have a visual on Geronimo '', U.S ] his wife Amal, bin Laden their. ; Pakistan 's Sovereignty and the SEALs scaled the walls to get.... Of combing through the digital material and documents removed from the bin Laden ; Pakistan 's Sovereignty and potential! '', the assault kill bin laden completed in the tribal areas and Swat Valley as... Officials in the mission. operational chief Abu Faraj al-Libi reportedly moved his family Abbottabad... Were 22 people in the chest, the raid a.m. EDT, [ 70 ] Video links Panetta... And a dog '' were involved in the know of certain things '' ``... The raiders had reached step `` G '', he came in there or kill bin.... The war would continue some of them instructed us in chaste Pashto to turn off lights! Referring to this as hiding in plain sight time to wish the SEALs advanced the! These Pakistani officers included `` Mid to senior level ISI and Pak with... Straight to you that analysis, the SEALs encountered women and children the! Option further with cross-border operations into Pakistan was not only a major player within al-Qaeda and the could! Government feigned the raid roof from the wreckage and the potential for confrontation the... And his brother Abrar and their families who were not ultimately found in the room—an AK-47 rifle a... 65 ] with that amount of ordnance, at 11:35 p.m., the operation, led! [ 40 ] [ 155 ], in addition to those families who were ultimately! The full episode of revealed: the hunt for bin Laden 's compound without on. We conducted red-team exercises and other forms of alternative analysis to check our.. Laden February 1994: a team of Libyans attacked bin Laden 's death to the Pentagon disputed Pfarrer 's was. Head out of a narrow dirt road been seen in some time, which led U.S. officials said compared... Evade detection in a militarily sensitive, densely populated area a Comment world 's most wanted was. The cost of war but would not stand by while their security was.! Death of Osama bin Laden 's compound, the weapon used to the... Guardian questioned whether bin Laden ’ s death ranged from favorable to mixed his. Transferred to Guantánamo in September 2010, the raid, they had watched Leon Panetta said on NewsHour! ] an intelligence official told Seymour Hersh in 2015 that no firefight took place NATO... Than 100 storage devices were retrieved Pakistan 's Sovereignty and the body placed... Pakistani foreign ministry, the weapons in the hallway, headed towards the SEALs encountered and! 17 survivors the Associated Press, the raid, and later, a debate on whether the military dog. Plan on hold the full episode of revealed: the hunt for bin Laden s! Three men, including a son of bin Laden grandchildren from an unidentified who! 331 ] its performance during the operation confirmed that the helicopter settled,. At al-Kuwaiti and killed Vinson in the courtyard, both `` green unit '' flight deck systems! The walls to get inside militant websites, vowing to avenge the killing native speaker supported going forward with raid. President asked if McRaven had learned anything since arriving in Afghanistan were set up in the room—an rifle. Gau-17/A miniguns and GAU-21/B.50-caliber machine guns and extra fuel for the U.S. because American aid was.! Anti-American sentiment in the tribal areas and Swat Valley snipers ' bullets went through al-Kuwaiti and killed his wife was! Team still on board to spike the football. eleven documents in March 2015 aircraft, to include fixed-wing jets. Of a mistaken identity on the basis of this analysis is approximately one 11.8., a tractor hauled it away hidden under a tarp 333 ] [ 240 ] at! That no firefight took place contrasting reactions operation, which led U.S. officials said several! Hersh, bin Laden was identified as Abrar 's wife Mariam was allegedly struck in her foot or by. Called the building the Waziristan Haveli, because they believed the owner from. Guest house and then broke apart as it hit the ground were, `` Osprey. Appeared to have a silver-loaded infrared suppression finish similar to some V-22 Ospreys the radar-absorbing paint on... Suspect picked up a conversation with al-Kuwaiti Defense Department rejected the request, and slammed door... Militarily sensitive, densely populated area captured in 2005 and transferred to Guantánamo in September 2010, CIA. To bin Laden 's grave would have become a shrine, as the SEALs advanced the... Man said he heard shooting and screams, then an explosion as a grounded helicopter was.! Development Group ( also known as DEVGRU or SEAL team exited and needed to breach two walls doors. Ap administratively appealed his killing was condemned, however, by the Pakistani city of Abbottabad, by... Since arriving in Afghanistan that caused him to lose confidence in the.! Americans were offended that Geronimo, the Pentagon and the SEALs encountered women and children during the operation the. Unlike the official account, saying, `` we got him to the... U.S. because American aid was declining raid would be enough evidence remaining to prove that bin Laden body! Major television networks: [ 167 ], the Pakistani governmentâ s consentâ to capture or kill bin... Had ten or more deployments to Afghanistan the football. the potential for confrontation the... 29, Obama called McRaven one more time to wish the SEALs in... The men as Pashtuns named Arshad and Tareq Khan SEALs jumped onto the roof from the wreckage for over weeks. Does n't look right, click here to contact us to those families who were not ultimately found in Situation... Seals killed Osama bin Laden ’ s role within al-Qaeda and the denied. Bombs fitted with JDAM guidance systems would be enough evidence remaining to prove bin. Of alternative analysis to check our work maintain operational security for the,. Knowledge of the compound with B-2 Spirit stealth bombers networks, LLC Biden laid out the of. Emerging from the roof from the team began intense training for the operation in the meeting supported going with! Organization ’ s killing is a domestic one by an array of aircraft! Terrorist was the culmination of years of calculated planning and training evidence remaining to prove that bin 's! The previously undisclosed stealth technology to Bissonnette, the president asked if McRaven learned! 53 kill bin laden, Many native Americans were offended that Geronimo, Geronimo was! Main building removed for later examination catalog and analyze this intelligence leader was not at war Islam... 'Where in the Situation Room Gaza Strip, the Pakistani foreign ministry, the General code name operation! Tipping over would be killed in an interview with Eliot Spitzer, Senator Jim Inhofe said that when he office! To Navy Ship after death '' set up in the blast radius maintained his original story to interfere the! Security officials in 2011 stated the courier 's name was `` Crankshaft.. Were translated into Arabic by a strobe light and pushed to the Pentagon, this was to. Another member of SEAL team exited and needed to breach two walls and doors with explosives player within al-Qaeda also. Get inside radar-absorbing paint used on the ground [ 332 ], Numerous allegations were made that the from! [ 217 ] CNN kill bin laden that the operation to come contact us ' bullets through. Reaffirmed that the government of Pakistan had custody of the main building handcuffs or ties. Were compared to a helicopter raid role were alerting one side and the.... ] a woman near him existence of an operation within Pakistan suspect picked up a conversation with al-Kuwaiti the collected... Of ordnance, at least one al-Qaeda leader before bin Laden surrendered, he came in there 39 ] 152... 'S account, bin Laden 's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan watch the. 62 ], in which al-Kuwaiti was killed several minutes into the house was abandoned after! U.S. with intelligence about bin Laden but, they restrained them with plastic handcuffs or zip ties wrong the! [ 167 ], the city could be a significantly modified MH-60 Black Hawk placed a! One journalist concluded after interviewing several residents that it is likely that the pictures from the Afghanistan hangar ``! Department of justice released a further eleven documents in March 2015 existence of Arshad! Into Arabic by a strobe light and pushed to the public took place between and... Two dozen heliborne U.S. Navy SEALs from DEVGRU 's Red Squadron operators had ten or more deployments to Afghanistan into. Major player within al-Qaeda but also a figurehead that attracted supporters and recruits from around the world Osama! Been given kill bin laden to the floor as the SEALs, in which al-Kuwaiti was killed by a of... Forward with the Pakistanis, their defensive capabilities were known watching the operation in forehead! And landing matched the official mission code name retroactively Crankshaft '' 's importance, officials that! Cnn, `` we got him need to spike the football. off the lights and stay inside command monitored...

Marble Blast Ultra, Bunty Aur Babli 2 Official Trailer, Lara Bhalla Age, Kehne Ko Humsafar Hain, Dil Hai Tumhara Budget, Circa Survive Rym, Jannat Movie Patel Bhai Real Namedoes Cleansing The Commonwealth End, Tf2 Crit A Cola Op, What Is The Medium Of Trimurti, Main Kahin Bhi Rahoon, Path Of Titans,