Killing of Osama bin Laden

Overview

On May 2, 2011, the United States carried out Operation Neptune Spear, in which U.S. Navy SEAL Team Six (DEVGRU) shot and killed Osama bin Laden at a compound known locally as the "Waziristan Haveli" in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Bin Laden had founded al-Qaeda and orchestrated the September 11, 2001, attacks, and had been the target of a U.S. military manhunt since the start of the war in Afghanistan. He is reported to have escaped to Pakistan during or after the Battle of Tora Bora in December 2001. The operation was led by the CIA, with the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) coordinating the special mission units involved, including SEAL Team Six, the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), and the CIA's Special Activities Division.

The Raid

Approved by President Barack Obama, the raid involved approximately two dozen Navy SEALs transported in two modified Black Hawk helicopters launched from near Jalalabad, Afghanistan, roughly 120 miles from the target. The operation lasted about 40 minutes and bin Laden was killed shortly before 1:00 a.m. Pakistan Standard Time. In addition to bin Laden, three other men — including one of his sons — and a woman in the compound were killed. One U.S. helicopter experienced a hard landing during the operation and was later destroyed by the SEALs to prevent recovery of classified equipment; there were no U.S. casualties. Reports describe conflicting accounts of an initial firefight and of exactly how bin Laden was shot, with differing versions offered by participants and journalists who later investigated the raid.

Aftermath and Identification

After the raid, U.S. forces returned to Afghanistan with bin Laden's body for identification, using measurement comparison, facial recognition software, DNA testing against samples from his extended family, and in-person identification by women present in the compound. The body was then flown over 850 miles to the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson in the Arabian Sea, where it was buried at sea following Islamic burial rites, according to U.S. officials, because no country would accept the remains.

Al-Qaeda confirmed bin Laden's death on May 6, 2011, via posts on militant websites, vowing retaliation. The raid was welcomed by the United Nations, European Union, and NATO, and supported by over 90% of the American public, but was condemned by roughly two-thirds of the Pakistani public, according to reporting cited in the source material. Amnesty International and others raised questions about the legality and ethics of the operation, including the failure to capture an unarmed bin Laden alive, and about the decision to classify photographic and DNA evidence.

Pakistani Investigation

Following the raid, Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani established a commission led by Senior Justice Javed Iqbal to examine the circumstances. The resulting Abbottabad Commission Report found that a "collective failure" by Pakistan's military and intelligence agencies had allowed bin Laden to remain hidden in the country for roughly nine years. The report was classified by the Pakistani government but was leaked and published by Al Jazeera in July 2013.