View source for Killing of Osama bin Laden

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{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2011}}
{{Infobox historical event
  |Event_Name     = Death of Osama bin Laden
  |Image_Name     = Osama bin Laden making a video at his compound in Pakistan-2.jpg
  |Imagesize      = 260px
  |Image_Alt      = 
  |Image_Caption  = bin Laden in 2010
  |Thumb_Time     = 
  |AKA            = 
  |Participants   = [[Osama bin Laden]]{{-}}[[Barack Obama]]{{-}}[[William H. McRaven]]{{-}}[[United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group]] (DEVGRU / SEAL Team Six)
  |Location       = [[Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad|Osama bin Laden's compound]] in [[Bilal Town]], [[Abbottabad]], [[Pakistan]]
  |Date           = {{Start date|2011|05|02}}
  |nongregorian   = <!--Not applicable-->
  |Deaths         = [[Osama bin Laden]] a.k.a Abu Hamza, 54;{{-}} [[Bin Laden family#Osama bin Laden's children|Khalid bin Laden]], 23;{{-}} Arshad Khan, a.k.a. [[Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti]], 33;{{-}} Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti's brother Abrar, 30;{{-}} Bushra, Abrar's wife, age unknown.
  |Result         = Osama bin Laden's body buried in [[North Arabian Sea]];{{-}}international [[reactions to the death of Osama bin Laden]];{{-}}[[allegations of support system in Pakistan for Osama bin Laden]];{{-}}sparks [[code name Geronimo controversy]];{{-}}creation of iconic photograph ''[[The Situation Room (photograph)|The Situation Room]]'';{{-}}emergence of multiple [[Osama bin Laden death conspiracy theories]];{{-}}[[Ayman al-Zawahiri]] becomes new leader of [[al-Qaeda]]
  |URL            = 
}}
'''[[DickHead]]''', then head of the [[Islamism|Islamist]] militant group [[al-Qaeda]], was killed in [[Pakistan]] on Monday, May 2, 2011, shortly after 1 a.m. [[Pakistan Standard Time|local time]]<ref name="waposurveil"/><ref>{{cite news|author=Cooper, Helene|title=Obama Announces Killing of Osama bin Laden|date=May 1, 2011|url=http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/bin-laden-dead-u-s-official-says/|work=[[The New York Times]]|accessdate=May 1, 2011}}</ref> by a United States [[special forces]] military unit.
The operation, code-named '''Operation Neptune Spear''', was ordered by United States President [[Barack Obama]] and carried out in a U.S. [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA) operation by a team of [[United States Navy SEALs]] from the [[United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group]] (also known as DEVGRU or, colloquially, by its former name, SEAL Team Six) of the [[Joint Special Operations Command]], with support from CIA operatives on the ground.<ref name="deadlyraid"/><ref name="CIAled"/> The raid on [[Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad|bin Laden's compound]] in [[Abbottabad]], Pakistan was launched from Afghanistan.<ref name="aftermath"/> After the raid, U.S. forces took bin Laden's body to [[Afghanistan]] for identification, then buried it at sea within 24 hours of his death.<ref name="ref-5"/>

Al-Qaeda confirmed the death on May 6 with posts made on militant websites, vowing to avenge the killing.<ref name="revenge"/> Other Pakistani militant groups, including the [[Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan]] also vowed retaliation against the US and against Pakistan for not preventing the operation.<ref> Varun Vira and Anthony Cordesman, "[http://www.scribd.com/doc/70694522/Pakistan-Violence-Versus-Stability Pakistan: Violence versus Stability]," Center for Strategic and International Studies, July 25, 2011. </ref> Bin Laden's killing was generally favorably received by U.S. public opinion;<ref>{{cite web |url= http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1978/poll-osama-bin-laden-death-reaction-obama-bush-military-cia-credit-first-heard-news |title=Public 'Relieved' By bin Laden's Death, Obama's Job Approval Rises| work=pewresearch.org |year=2011 |accessdate=May 19, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.gallup.com/poll/147395/Americans-Back-Bin-Laden-Mission-Credit-Military-CIA.aspx |title=Americans Back Bin Laden Mission; Credit Military, CIA Most |first=Frank |last=Newport |work=gallup.com |year=2011 |accessdate=May 19, 2011}}</ref> was welcomed by the United Nations, NATO, the European Union, and a large number of governments;<ref name="ref-16"/> but was condemned by some, including [[Fidel Castro]] of Cuba<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.granma.cu/ingles/reflections-i/5mayo-The%20murder.html |title=Reflections of Fidel - The murder of Osama Bin Laden| work=granma.cu |year=2011 |accessdate=June 22, 2011}}</ref> and [[Ismail Haniyeh]], the head of the [[Hamas]] administration of the [[Gaza Strip]].<ref name="ref-60"/> Legal and ethical aspects of the killing, such as his not being taken alive despite being unarmed, were questioned by others, including [[Amnesty International]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Questions around operation against Osama bin Laden|url=http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/questions-around-operation-against-osama-bin-laden-2011-05-04|accessdate=May 6, 2011}}</ref>
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==Locating bin Laden==
{{See also|Location of Osama bin Laden}}

The U.S. intelligence community effort to determine the current location of jo0st9n beebar, which eventually resulted in the Abbottabad operation, began with a fragment of information unearthed in 2002, resulting in years of consequent investigation, followed by intensive multiplatform surveillance on the compound beginning in September 2010.

===Identity of his courier===
Identification of al-Qaeda couriers was an early priority for interrogators at CIA [[black site]]s and [[Guantanamo Bay detention camp]], because bin Laden was believed to communicate through such couriers while concealing his whereabouts from al-Qaeda foot soldiers and top commanders.<ref name="phonecall"/> Bin Laden was known not to use phones, as the U.S. launched missile strikes against his bases in Afghanistan and Sudan in 1998 ([[Cruise missile strikes on Afghanistan and Sudan (August 1998)|Operation Infinite Reach]]) after tracking an associate's satellite phone.<ref>{{cite news| title=Tracking use of bin Laden's satellite phone| url=http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/05/28/tracking-use-of-bin-ladens-satellite-phone/ | date=May 28, 2008 | accessdate=May 8, 2011 | work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]}}</ref>

By 2002, interrogators had heard uncorroborated claims about an al-Qaeda courier with the [[nom de guerre]] [[Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti]] (sometimes referred to as [[Sheikh]] Abu Ahmed from Kuwait).<ref name="phonecall"/> In 2003, [[Khalid Sheikh Mohammed]], the alleged operational chief of al-Qaeda, revealed under interrogation that he was acquainted with al-Kuwaiti but that he was not active in al-Qaeda.<ref name="torture"/>

In 2004, a prisoner named [[Hassan Ghul]] told interrogators that al-Kuwaiti was close to bin Laden as well as Khalid Sheik Mohammed and Mohammed's successor [[Abu Faraj al-Libi]]. Ghul further revealed that al-Kuwaiti had not been seen in some time, which led U.S. officials to suspect he was traveling with bin Laden. When confronted with Ghul's account, Khalid Sheik Mohammed maintained his original story.<ref name="torture"/> Abu Faraj al-Libi was captured in 2005 and transferred to Guantánamo in September 2006.<ref name="miamifaraj"/> He told CIA interrogators that bin Laden's courier was a man named Maulawi Abd al-Khaliq Jan and denied knowing al-Kuwaiti. Because both Mohammed and al-Libi had minimized al-Kuwaiti's importance, officials speculated that he was part of bin Laden's inner circle.<ref name="torture"/>

In 2007, officials learned al-Kuwaiti's real name,<ref name="realname"/> though they will not disclose the name nor how they learned it.<ref name="torture"/> Since the name Maulawi Abd al-Khaliq Jan appears in the JTF-GTMO detainee assessment for Abu Faraj al-Libi released by [[WikiLeaks]] on April 24, 2011,<ref name="wikileaksfaraj"/> there was speculation that the U.S. assault on the Abbottabad compound was expedited as a precaution.<ref name="dailymailwikileaks"/> The CIA never found anyone named Maulawi Jan and concluded that the name was an invention of al-Libi.<ref name="torture"/>

A 2010 wiretap of another suspect picked up a conversation with al-Kuwaiti. CIA paramilitary operatives located al-Kuwaiti in August 2010 and followed him back to bin Laden's Abbottabad compound.<ref name="phonecall"/> The courier and a relative (who was either a brother or a cousin) were killed in the May 2, 2011 raid.<ref name="torture"/> Afterward, some locals identified the men as [[Pashtun people|Pashtuns]] named Arshad and Tareq Khan.<ref name="pashtuns"/> Arshad Khan was carrying an old, noncomputerized Pakistani [[Identity document|identification card]] which said he was from Khat Kuruna, a village near [[Charsadda]] in northwestern Pakistan. Pakistani officials have found no record of an Arshad Khan in that area and suspect the men were living under false identities.<ref name="nytpakinvest"/>

In June 2011, Pakistani officials revealed the courier's name as Ibrahim Saeed Ahmed from Pakistan's Swat Valley.  He and his brother Abrar and their families were living at bin Laden's compound.<ref>Gannon, Kathy, "[http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2011/06/ap-bin-ladens-trusted-confidante-identified-060111/ Bin Laden’s trusted confidante identified]", ''[[Military Times]]'', June 1, 2011.</ref>

===Bin Laden's compound===
{{main|Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad}}
[[File:Osama bin Laden compound1.jpg|thumb|View of the compound]]
The CIA used surveillance photos and intelligence reports to determine the identities of the inhabitants of the Abbottabad compound to which the courier was traveling. In September 2010, the CIA concluded that the compound was custom-built to hide someone of significance, very likely bin Laden.<ref name="MazzettiCooper"/><ref name="Dedman"/> Officials surmised that he was living there with his youngest wife.<ref name="Dedman"/>

Built in 2004, the three-story<ref name="ZengerleBull"/> compound was located at the end of a narrow dirt road.<ref name="ref-96"/> [[Google Earth]] maps made from satellite photographs show that the compound was not present in 2001 but did exist on images taken in 2005.<ref name="ref-88"/> It is located {{convert|2.5|mi}} northeast of the city center of Abbottabad.<ref name="MazzettiCooper"/> Abbottabad is about {{convert|100|mi}} from the Afghanistan border on the far eastern side of Pakistan (about {{convert|20|mi|km|disp=x| (|)}} from India). The compound is {{convert|0.8|mi}} southwest of the [[Pakistan Military Academy]] (PMA), a prominent military academy that has been compared with [[United States Military Academy|West Point]] in the United States and [[Royal Military Academy Sandhurst|Sandhurst]] in Britain.<ref name="deadlyraid"/> Located on a plot of land eight times larger than those of nearby houses, it was surrounded by a 12-to-18-foot (3.7–5.5&nbsp;m)<ref name="Dedman"/> concrete wall topped with barbed wire.<ref name="MazzettiCooper"/> There were two security gates, and the third-floor balcony had a seven-foot-high (2.1&nbsp;m) privacy wall, tall enough to hide the {{convert|6|ft|4|in|cm|abbr=on}} bin Laden.

There was no Internet or landline telephone service to the compound, and its residents burned their trash, unlike their neighbors who set their garbage out for collection.<ref name="ZengerleBull"/> Local residents called the building the ''Waziristan [[Haveli]]'', because they believed the owner was from [[Waziristan]].<ref name="WaziristanHaveli"/>

===Intelligence gathering===
[[File:CIA aerial view Osama bin Laden compound Abbottabad.jpg|thumb|[[CIA]] aerial photo of the compound.]]
The CIA led the effort to surveil and gather intelligence on the compound; other critical roles in the operation were played by other American government agencies, including the [[National Security Agency]], [[National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency]] (NGA), [[Office of the Director of National Intelligence]] (ODNI), and [[United States Department of Defense|US Defense Department]].<ref name="fedtimes"/> According to ''[[The Washington Post]]'', "The [intelligence-gathering] effort was so extensive and costly that the CIA went to [[United States Congress|Congress]] in December [2010] to secure authority to reallocate tens of millions of dollars within assorted agency budgets to fund it, U.S. officials said."<ref name="waposurveil"/>

The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency rented a home in Abbottabad from which a team staked out and observed the compound over a number of months. The CIA team used informants and other techniques to gather intelligence on the compound. The safe house was abandoned immediately after bin Laden's death.<ref name="waposurveil"/> The U.S. [[National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency]] helped the [[Joint Special Operations Command]] create mission simulators for the pilots and analyzed data from an [[RQ-170]] drone before, during and after the raid on the compound. The NGA created three-dimensional renderings of the house, created schedules describing residential traffic patterns, and assessed the number, height and gender of the residents of the compound.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/05/the-little-known-agency-that-helped-kill-bin-laden/238454/ |title=The Little-Known Agency That Helped Kill Bin Laden |work=The Atlantic |date= May 8, 2011 |accessdate=May 8, 2011}}</ref>

The design of [[Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad]] may have ultimately contributed to his discovery. A former CIA official involved in the [[manhunt (military)|manhunt]] told ''The Washington Post'', "The place was three [[Second floor|stories]] high, and you could watch it from a variety of angles."<ref name="waposurveil"/>

The CIA used a process called "[[red team]]ing" on the collected intelligence to independently review the circumstantial evidence and available facts of their case that bin Laden was living at the Abbottabad compound.<ref name="sfgredteam"/> An administration official stated, "We conducted red-team exercises and other forms of alternative analysis to check our work. No other candidate fit the bill as well as bin Laden did."<ref name="timered"/> This duplicate analysis was necessary because "Despite what officials described as an extraordinarily concentrated collection effort leading up to the operation, no U.S. spy agency was ever able to capture a photograph of bin Laden at the compound before the raid or a recording of the voice of the mysterious male figure whose family occupied the structure's top two floors."<ref name="waposurveil"/>

==Operation Neptune Spear==
{{infobox military conflict
| conflict =  Operation Neptune Spear
| partof = the [[War on Terror]]
| image ={{Location map+|Pakistan|width=300|float=center|border=none|caption=|places=
{{Location map~|Pakistan|lat=34.17|long=73.23|label=[[Abbottabad]]|position=right|mark=Red pog.svg}}
{{Location map~|Pakistan|lat=33.7|long=73.06|label=[[Islamabad]]|position=bottom right|mark=Green pog.svg}}
{{Location map~|Pakistan|lat=34.31|long=70.31|label=[[Jalalabad]]|position=left|mark=Airplane silhouette.svg}}
{{Location map~|Pakistan|lat=34.95|long=69.27|label=[[Bagram Airfield|Bagram]]|position=left|mark=Airplane silhouette.svg}}
{{Location map~|Pakistan|lat=24.43|long=62.00|label=[[Arabian Sea|North Arabian Sea]]|position=right|mark=Blue pog.svg}}}}
| caption=Map of [[Pakistan]]. Abbottabad is {{convert|34|mi}} from the capital Islamabad, {{convert|167|mi}} from Jalalabad Airfield, and {{convert|232|mi}} from Bagram Airfield. Bagram is about {{convert|850|mi}} from the North Arabian Sea.<br />(''Straight line distances. Travel distances significantly more.'')
| date= May 1–2, 2011
| place=[[Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad|Osama bin Laden's hideout compound]], [[Abbottabad]], [[Pakistan]]
| coordinates={{Coord|34|10|9|N|73|14|33|E|type:landmark_region:PK}}
| result= [[Osama bin Laden]] killed
| combatant1={{Flag|United States}}
| combatant2={{Flagicon image|Flag of al-Qaeda.svg}} [[al-Qaeda]]
| commander1={{Flagicon|United States}} [[Barack Obama]]
{{Flagicon|United States}} [[William H. McRaven]]
| commander2={{Flagicon image|Flag of al-Qaeda.svg}} [[Osama bin Laden]] ([[Killed in action|†]])
{{Flagicon image|Flag of al-Qaeda.svg}} [[Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti]] ([[Killed in action|†]])
| strength1=79<br />6 helicopters<br />1 [[Belgian Malinois]] ([[Dogs in warfare|military working dog]])
| strength2=22 (number of residents, including children)
| casualties1=1 helicopter lost
| casualties2=5 killed<br />17 captured (3 injured)<br />[[Hamza bin Laden|1 escaped]]
}}
The official mission [[code name]] was ''Operation Neptune Spear''.<ref name="deadlyraid"/> [[Neptune (mythology)|Neptune's]] spear is the [[trident]], which appears on Navy [[Special Warfare insignia]], with the three prongs of the trident representing the operational capacity of SEALs on sea, air and land.

===Objective===
The [[Associated Press]] cited two U.S. officials as stating the operation was "a kill-or-capture mission, since the U.S. doesn't kill unarmed people trying to surrender", but  that "it was clear from the beginning that whoever was behind those walls had no intention of surrendering".<ref name="aprisks"/> [[United States Homeland Security Council|White House counterterrorism advisor]] [[John O. Brennan]] stated after the raid: "If we had the opportunity to take bin Laden alive, if he didn't present any threat, the individuals involved were able and prepared to do that."<ref name="stormedroom"/> CIA Director [[Leon Panetta]] stated on ''[[PBS NewsHour]]'': "The authority here was to kill bin Laden...Obviously under the [[rules of engagement]], if he in fact had thrown up his hands, surrendered and didn't appear to be representing any kind of threat, then they were to capture him. But, they had full authority to kill him."<ref name="pbsinterview"/>

However, a U.S. national security official, who was not named, told [[Reuters]] that "'this was a kill operation', making clear there was no desire to try to capture bin Laden alive in Pakistan".<ref name="commandos"/> Another source referencing a ''kill'' (rather than ''capture'') order states, "Officials described the reaction of the special operators when they were told a number of weeks ago that they had been chosen to train for the mission. 'They were told, "We think we found Osama bin Laden, and your job is to kill him",' an official recalled. The SEALs started to cheer."<ref name="politico1"/>

===Planning===
The CIA briefed [[Vice admiral (United States)|Vice Admiral]] [[William H. McRaven]], the commander of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), about the compound in January&nbsp;2011. McRaven said a commando raid would be fairly straightforward but he was concerned about the Pakistani response. He assigned a captain from the United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU) to work with a CIA team at their campus in [[Langley, Virginia]].  The captain, named "Brian", set up an office in the printing plant in the CIA's Langley compound and, with six other JSOC officers, began to plan the raid.<ref name="Getting Bin Laden"/>

In addition to a helicopter raid, planners considered attacking the compound with [[Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit|B-2 Spirit]] stealth bombers. They considered a joint operation with Pakistani forces.  Obama, however, decided that the Pakistani government and military could not be trusted to maintain operational security for the operation against bin Laden. "There was a real lack of confidence that the Pakistanis could keep this secret for more than a nanosecond," a senior adviser to the President told ''[[The New Yorker]]''.<ref name="Getting Bin Laden"/>

President Obama met with the [[National Security Council]] on March&nbsp;14 to review the options. The president was concerned that the mission would be exposed and wanted to proceed quickly. For that reason he ruled out involving the Pakistanis. [[Defense Secretary]] [[Robert Gates]] and other military officials expressed doubts as to whether bin Laden was actually in the compound, and whether a commando raid was worth the risk. At the end of the meeting the president seemed to be leaning toward a bombing mission. Two [[United States Air Force|US Air Force]] officers were tasked with exploring that option further.<ref name="spymilitary"/>

The CIA was unable to rule out the existence of an underground [[bunker]] below the compound. Presuming that one existed, 32 {{convert|2000|lb|adj=on}} [[Joint Direct Attack Munitions]] would be required to destroy it.<ref name="behindthehunt"/> With that amount of [[Ammunition|ordnance]], at least one other house was in the [[blast radius]]. Estimates were that up to a dozen civilians would be killed in addition to those in the compound. Furthermore it was unlikely there would be enough evidence remaining to prove that bin Laden was dead. Presented with this information at the next Security Council meeting on March&nbsp;29, President Obama put the bombing plan on hold. Instead he directed Admiral McRaven to develop the idea of a helicopter raid.

McRaven assembled a team drawing from Red Squadron, one of four that make up DEVGRU. Red Squadron was coming home from Afghanistan and could be redirected without attracting attention. The team had language skills and experience with cross-border operations into Pakistan.<ref name="spymilitary"/> Without being told the exact nature of their mission, the team performed two rehearsals in the U.S. on April&nbsp;10 in North Carolina and April&nbsp;18 in Nevada.<ref name="Getting Bin Laden"/><ref name="behindthehunt"/>

Planners believed the SEALs could get to Abbottabad and back without being challenged by the Pakistani military. The helicopters to be used in the raid had been designed to be quiet and to have low radar visibility. Since the U.S. had helped equip and train the Pakistanis, their defensive capabilities were known. Furthermore the U.S. had supplied [[General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon|F-16 Fighting Falcon]]s to Pakistan on the condition they were kept at a Pakistani military base under 24-hour U.S. surveillance.<ref>{{Cite news | last = Gorman | first = Siobhan | last2 = Barnes | first2 = Julian E.  | title =Spy, Military Ties Aided bin Laden Raid  | work = The Wall Street Journal Online | accessdate = 2011-09-24 | url =http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704083904576334160172068344.html | date=May 23, 2011}}</ref> The U.S. would know immediately if the Pakistanis scrambled their jets.

If bin Laden surrendered he would be held near [[Bagram Air Base]]. If the SEALs were discovered by the Pakistanis in the middle of the raid, [[Joint Chiefs]] Chairman Adm. [[Mike Mullen]] would call Pakistan's army chief Gen. [[Ashfaq Parvez Kayani]] and try to negotiate their release.<ref name="targetchapter6"/>

When the Security Council met again on April&nbsp;19, President Obama gave provisional approval for the helicopter raid. But he worried that the plan for dealing with the Pakistanis was too uncertain. Obama asked Adm. McRaven to equip the team to fight its way out if necessary.<ref name="spymilitary"/>

McRaven and the SEALs left for Afghanistan to practice at a one acre full-scale replica of the compound built on a restricted area of Bagram known as Camp Alpha.<ref name="fortbragg"/><ref name="secretteam"/>  The team departed the U.S. from [[Naval Air Station Oceana]] on April 26 in a C-17 aircraft, refueled on the ground at [[Ramstein Air Base]] in Germany, landed at [[Bagram Air Base]], then moved to Jalalabad on April 27.<ref name="Getting Bin Laden"/>

On April&nbsp;28 Admiral Mullen explained the final plan to the Security Council. To bolster the "fight your way out" scenario, [[Chinook helicopter]]s with additional troops would be positioned nearby. Obama said he wanted to speak directly to Admiral McRaven before he gave the order to proceed. The president asked if McRaven had learned anything since arriving in Afghanistan that caused him to lose confidence in the mission. McRaven told him the team was ready and that the next few nights would have little moonlight over Abbottabad, good conditions for a raid.<ref name="Getting Bin Laden"/>

On April&nbsp;29 at 8:20&nbsp;a.m., Obama conferred with his advisers and gave the final go-ahead. The raid would take place the following day. That evening the president was informed that the operation would be delayed one day due to cloudy weather. On April&nbsp;30 Obama called McRaven one more time to wish the SEALs well and to thank them for their service.<ref name="Getting Bin Laden"/>

On May&nbsp;1 at 1:22&nbsp;p.m., Panetta, acting on the president's orders, directed McRaven to move forward with the operation. Shortly after 3&nbsp;p.m., the president joined national security officials in the [[White House Situation Room|Situation Room]] to monitor the raid. They watched night-vision images taken from a [[UAV|drone]] while Panetta, appearing in a corner of the screen from CIA headquarters, narrated what was happening.<ref name="targetchapter6"/>  Video links with Panetta at CIA headquarters and McRaven in Afghanistan were set up in situation room.  In an adjoining office was the live drone feed presented on a laptop computer operated by Brigadier General Marshall Webb, assistant commander of JSOC.  Two other command centers monitored the raid from the Pentagon and the American embassy in Islamabad.<ref name="Getting Bin Laden"/>

===Execution of the operation===
====Approach and entry====
[[File:Osama bin Laden hideout-en.svg|thumb|300px|Diagram of [[Osama bin Laden's hideout compound|Osama bin Laden's hideout]], showing the high concrete walls that surround the compound]]
The raid was carried out by approximately two dozen heliborne [[United States Navy SEALs]] from the Red Squadron<ref name="spymilitary"/> of the [[Joint Special Operations Command]]'s [[United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group]] (DEVGRU). For legal reasons (namely that the U.S. was not [[Declaration of war by the United States|at war]] with Pakistan), the military personnel assigned to the mission were temporarily transferred to the control of the civilian Central Intelligence Agency.<ref name="soldierspy"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42852700/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/ |title=US forces kill Osama bin Laden in Pakistan - World news - Death of bin Laden - msnbc.com |publisher=MSNBC |date=May 2, 2011 |accessdate=May 22, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Gaffney |first=Frank J. |url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/may/2/bin-laden-creates-opportunity-for-fresh-start-on-c |title=GAFFNEY: Bin Laden's welcome demise |work=[[The Washington Times]] |date=May 2, 2011 |accessdate=May 22, 2011}}</ref> The DEVGRU SEALs operated in two teams<ref name="nbcpentagon"/> and were reportedly equipped with [[Heckler & Koch HK416|Heckler & Koch 416 carbine]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usnews.com/news/washington-whispers/articles/2011/05/11/the-gun-that-killed-osama-bin-laden-revealed |title=The Gun That Killed Osama bin Laden Revealed - U.S. News and World Report |publisher=Usnews.com |date=May 11, 2011 |accessdate=July 6, 2011}}</ref> military assault rifles (with attached [[suppressor]]s<ref name="oneshotdeal"/>), [[night vision|night-vision goggles]], [[Personal armor|body armor]] and [[handgun]]s.<ref name="abckillshot"/>

According to ''The New York Times'', a total of "79 commandos and a dog" were involved in the raid.<ref name="ref-96"/> The [[Dogs in warfare|military working dog]]<ref name="seal"/> was a [[Belgian Shepherd Dog (Malinois)|Belgian Malinois]] named Cairo.<ref name="dogname"/><ref name="globalsecneptune"/> According to one report, the dog was tasked with tracking "anyone who tried to escape and to alert SEALs to any approaching Pakistani security forces".<ref name="oneshotdeal"/>  The dog was to be used to help deter any Pakistani ground response to the raid and to help look for any hidden rooms or hidden doors in the compound.<ref name="Getting Bin Laden"/>  Additional personnel on the mission included a language translator,<ref name="oneshotdeal"/> the dog handler, helicopter pilots, "tactical signals, intelligence collectors, and navigators using [[Classified information|highly classified]] [[Hyperspectral imaging|hyperspectral imagers]]".<ref name="secretteam"/>

The SEALs flew into Pakistan from a staging base in the city of [[Jalalabad]] in eastern Afghanistan after originating at [[Bagram Air Base]] in northeastern Afghanistan.<ref>Woodward, Calvin, "[http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2011/05/ap-inside-bin-ladens-lair-with-seal-team-six-050411/ Inside bin Laden's lair with SEAL Team 6]", ''[[Military Times]]'', May 4, 2011.</ref>  The [[160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne)|160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR)]], an airborne [[United States Army Special Operations Command|US Army Special Operations Command]] unit known as the "Night Stalkers", provided the two modified [[Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk|Black Hawk]] helicopters<ref>{{cite web|author=Max Behrman |url=http://gizmodo.com/5797783/the-berzerker-black-hawk-helicopter-that-helped-kill-osama-bin-laden |title=The Berzerker Black Hawk Helicopter That Helped Kill Osama bin Laden |publisher=Gizmodo.com |date=May 2, 2011 |accessdate=May 12, 2011}}</ref> that were used for the raid itself, as well as the much larger [[Boeing CH-47 Chinook|Chinook]] [[heavy-lift helicopters]] that were employed as backups.<ref name="politico1"/><ref name="secretteam"/><ref name="oneshotdeal"/>

The Black Hawks appear to have been never-before-publicly-seen "stealth" versions of the helicopter that fly more quietly while being harder to detect on [[radar]] than conventional models;<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/06/world/asia/06helicopter.html | title = Attack on Bin Laden Used Stealthy Helicopter That Had Been a Secret | first = Christopher | last = Drew | work = [[The New York Times]] | date = May 5, 2011 | accessdate =May 6, 2011 }}</ref><ref name="dangerroomstealth"/> due to the weight of the extra stealth equipment on the Black Hawks, cargo was "calculated to the ounce, with the weather factored in."<ref name="oneshotdeal"/>

The Chinooks kept on standby were on the ground "in a deserted area roughly two-thirds of the way" between Jalalabad and Abbottabad, with two additional SEAL teams consisting of approximately 24 DEVGRU operators<ref name="oneshotdeal"/> and [[United States Army Rangers|Army Rangers]] for a backup [[Quick Reaction Force|"quick reaction force" (QRF)]].  The Chinooks were equipped with [[Minigun|M134 Miniguns]] and extra fuel for the Black Hawks.  Their mission was to interdict any Pakistani military attempts to interfere with the raid.  Other Chinooks, holding 25 more SEALs from DEVGRU, were stationed just across the border in Afghanistan in case reinforcements were needed during the raid.<ref name="Getting Bin Laden"/>

The 160th SOAR helicopters were supported by multiple other aircraft, including fixed-wing fighter jets and [[Unmanned aerial vehicle|drones]].<ref name="ref-24"/> According to CNN, "the [[United States Air Force|Air Force]] had a full team of combat search-and-rescue helicopters available".<ref name="ref-24"/>

The raid was scheduled for a time with little moonlight so the helicopters could enter Pakistan "low to the ground and undetected".<ref name="ref-87"/> The helicopters used hilly terrain and [[nap-of-the-earth]] techniques to reach the compound without appearing on radar and alerting the Pakistani military.  The flight from Jalalabad to Abbottabad took about 90 minutes.<ref name="Getting Bin Laden"/>

According to the mission plan, the first helicopter would hover over the compound's yard while its full team of SEALs [[fast-rope]]d to the ground.  At the same time, the second helicopter would fly to the northeast corner of the compound and deploy the translator, the dog, and four SEALs to secure the perimeter.  The second helicopter would then hover over the house and the team leader and six SEALs would fast-rope onto the roof.  The team in the courtyard was to enter the house from the ground floor.<ref name="Getting Bin Laden"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zaaph.com/laden-mission-obama/ |title=Bin Laden mission was roll of the dice for Obama |publisher=Zaaph |date= |accessdate=May 11, 2011}}{{dead link|date=July 2011}}</ref>

As they hovered above the target, however, the first helicopter experienced a hazardous airflow condition known as a [[vortex ring state]]. This was aggravated by higher than expected air temperature ("a so-called 'hot and high' environment"<ref name="Getting Bin Laden"/><ref name="globalsecneptune"/>) and the high compound walls, which stopped the rotor downwash from diffusing.<ref name="globalsecneptune"/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-05/commando-black-hawk-downed-by-air-vortex-not-mechanics-in-bin-laden-raid.html|title=Helicopter Carrying SEALs Downed by Vortex, Not Mechanical Flaw or Gunfire|last=Capaccio|first=Tony|publisher=Bloomberg|date= May 5, 2011}}</ref><ref name="ref-97"/> The helicopter's tail grazed one of the compound's walls,<ref name="nbcpentagon"/> damaging its [[tail rotor]],<ref name="ST6return"/> and the helicopter rolled onto its side.<ref name="phonecall"/> The pilot quickly buried the aircraft's nose to keep it from tipping over.<ref name="oneshotdeal"/> None of the SEALs, crew and pilots on the helicopter were seriously injured in the soft crash landing, which ended with it pitched at a forty-five-degree angle resting against the wall.<ref name="Getting Bin Laden"/> The other helicopter then landed outside the compound and the SEALs scaled the walls to get inside.<ref name="graphic"/> The SEALs advanced into the house, breaching walls and doors with explosives.<ref name="oneshotdeal"/>

====Killing====
[[File:Obama and Biden await updates on bin Laden.jpg|thumb|The U.S. national security team gathered in the [[White House Situation Room]] to monitor the progress of Operation Neptune Spear.  See also: [[The Situation Room (photograph)|''The Situation Room'' (photograph)]]]]
The SEALs encountered the residents in the compound's guest house, in the main building on the first floor where two adult males lived, and on the second and third floors where bin Laden lived with his family. The second and third floors were the last section of the compound to be cleared.<ref name="autogenerated1"/> There were reportedly "small knots of children...on every level, including the balcony of bin Laden's room".<ref name="oneshotdeal"/>

In addition to Osama bin Laden, three other men and a woman were killed in the operation. The individuals killed were bin Laden's adult son (likely Khalid,<ref name="paknews"/><ref name="nytonesided"/> possibly [[Hamza bin Laden|Hamza]]<ref name="behindthehunt"/><ref name="telegraphhamza"/>), bin Laden's courier ([[Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti]]), al-Kuwaiti's brother Abrar, and Abrar's unarmed wife Bushra.<ref name="Getting Bin Laden"/>

Al-Kuwaiti opened fire on the first team of SEALs with an AK-47 from behind the guesthouse door, and a firefight took place between him and the SEALs, in which al-Kuwaiti was killed.<ref name="deadlyraid"/><ref name="theaustralian1"/>  The courier's male relative Abrar was shot and killed, before he could reach a weapon found lying nearby, by the SEALs' second team on the first floor of the main house. A woman near him, later identified as the Abrar's wife Bushra was also shot and killed. Bin Laden's young adult son rushed towards the SEALs on the staircase of the main house, and was shot and killed by the second team.<ref name="deadlyraid"/><ref name="nbcpentagon"/><ref name="nytonesided"/><ref name="theaustralian1"/><ref name="foxnews1"/> An unnamed U.S. senior defense official stated that only one of the five people killed was armed.<ref name="APsource"/>

The SEALs encountered bin Laden on the second or third floor of the main building.<ref name="nbcpentagon"/><ref name="montrealtechnology"/> Bin Laden was "wearing the local loose-fitting tunic and pants known as a ''[[kurta|kurta paijama]]''", which were later found to have [[500 euro note|€500]] and two phone numbers sewn into the fabric.<ref name="behindthehunt"/><ref name="ST6return"/><ref name="theaustralian1"/>

Bin Laden peered over the third floor ledge at the Americans advancing up the stairs, and then retreated into his room as a SEAL fired a shot at him, but missed.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hirsh|first=Michael|title=Chambliss Has Questions on bin Laden Raid|url=http://www.nationaljournal.com/nationalsecurity/chambliss-has-questions-on-bin-laden-raid-20110505|accessdate=May 9, 2011|newspaper=[[National Journal]]|date=May 5, 2011}}</ref> The SEALs quickly followed him into his room.<ref name="waposurveil"/>

Inside the bedroom, two of bin Laden's wives stood in front of him, shielding him.  One of them, [[Amal Ahmed Abdul Fatah]], screamed at the SEALs in Arabic and motioned as if she were about to charge.  One of the SEALs shot her in the leg, then grabbed both women and shoved them aside.  A second SEAL entered the room and shot bin Laden in the chest, and then in the head with his [[Heckler & Koch HK416|H&K 416]] with Navy M855, [[5.56×45 mm NATO|5.56 mm]] Predator bullets. <ref>{{cite book|last=Pfarrer|first=Chuck|title=Seal Target Geronimo|year=2011|publisher=St. Martin's Press|location=Thirty-Eight Minutes|isbn=978-1-250-00635-6|pages=192–193}}</ref> The SEAL radioed, "For God and country—Geronimo, Geronimo, Geronimo," and then, "Geronimo E.K.I.A." (enemy killed in action). Watching the operation in the White House Situation Room, President Obama said, "We got him."<ref name="deadlyraid"/><ref name="Getting Bin Laden"/>

There were two weapons near bin Laden in his room, including an [[AK-74#AKS-74U|AKSU]] [[submachine gun]] with extended magazine containing [[armor-piercing shot and shell|armor-piercing]] [[7.62×39mm]] shells. A Russian-made [[Semi-automatic pistol|semi-automatic]] [[Makarov pistol]], but according to his wife Amal, he was shot before he could reach his AKSU. <ref>{{cite book|last=Pfarrer|first=Chuck|title=Seal Target Geronimo|year=2011|publisher=St. Martin's Press|location=Thirty-Eight Minutes|isbn=978-1-250-00635-6|pages=189–198}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/al-qaeda/8502363/Osama-bin-Laden-was-a-user-of-herbal-viagra.html |title=Osama bin Laden was a user of herbal viagra |work=Telegraph |date=April 6, 2011 |accessdate=May 12, 2011 |location=London |first=Our |last=Foreign}}</ref> According to the Associated Press the guns were on a shelf next to the door and the SEALs did not see them until they were photographing the body.<ref name="oneshotdeal"/>

Bin Laden's 12-year-old daughter Safia was struck in her foot or ankle by a piece of flying debris.<ref name="deadlyraid"/><ref name="GuardianBooth"/><ref name="BBC_Intel_Failure"/>

As the SEALs encountered women and children during the raid, they restrained them with [[plastic handcuffs]] or [[zip tie]]s.<ref name="nbcpentagon"/> After the raid was over, U.S. forces moved the surviving residents outside<ref name="stormedroom"/> "for Pakistani forces to discover".<ref name="nbcpentagon"/>  The interpreter questioned the women and children, none of whom confirmed that bin Laden was present{{cn|date=December 2011}}.  The injured Amal Ahmed Abdul Fatah continued to harangue the raiders in Arabic.<ref name="Getting Bin Laden"/>

While bin Laden's body was taken by U.S. forces, the bodies of the four others killed in the raid were left behind at the compound and later taken into Pakistani custody.<ref name="nytpakinvest"/><ref name="ref-108"/>

====Wrap-up====
[[File:US Navy 110404-N-6505H-511 An E-2C Hawkeye approaches USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70).jpg|thumb|{{USS|Carl Vinson|CVN-70|6}} conducting flight operations in Persian Gulf (April 4, 2011)]]
The raid was intended to take 30 minutes. All told, the time between the team's entry in and exit from the compound was 38 minutes.<ref name="politico1"/> According to the Associated Press, the [[Offensive (military)|military offensive]] aspect of the raid was completed in the first 15 minutes.<ref name="oneshotdeal"/>

Time in the compound was spent killing defenders;<ref name="autogenerated1"/> "moving carefully through the compound, room to room, floor to floor" securing the women and children; clearing "weapons stashes and barricades",<ref name="nbcpentagon"/> including a false door;<ref name="abcnbarricades"/> and searching the compound for information.<ref name="realname"/> U.S. personnel recovered three [[AK-47]]s and two pistols, computer hard drives, documents, DVDs, [[USB flash drive|thumb drive]]s, and "electronic equipment" for later analysis.<ref name="politico1"/><ref name="APGoldman"/>

Since the helicopter that had made the emergency landing was damaged and unable to fly the team out, it was destroyed to safeguard its classified equipment, including an apparent [[Stealth technology|stealth]] capability.<ref name="dangerroomstealth"/> The pilot smashed "the instrument panel, the radio, and the other classified fixtures inside the cockpit," and the SEALs "[packed] the helicopter with explosives and [blew] it up".<ref name="Dedman"/><ref name="behindthehunt"/><ref name="ref-110"/><ref name="Getting Bin Laden"/>

While the official Department of Defense narrative did not mention the airbases used in the operation,<ref name="DODCNN"/> later accounts indicated that the helicopters returned to [[Bagram Airfield]].<ref name="oneshotdeal"/> The body of Osama bin Laden was then flown from Bagram to the [[aircraft carrier]] {{USS|Carl Vinson|CVN-70|2}} in a [[Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey|V-22 Osprey]] escorted by two U.S. Navy [[Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet|F/A-18]] fighter jets.<ref>[[Bill Gertz|Gertz, Bill]], "[http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/may/11/inside-the-ring-320207052/?page=4 Inside the Ring: Osama's Escorts]", ''[[The Washington Times]]'', May 12, 2011, p. 10.</ref><ref>Capaccio, Tony, "V-22 Osprey Flew Osama Bin Laden To Navy Ship After Death", ''[[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg News]]'', June 14, 2011.</ref>

According to U.S. officials, bin Laden was buried at sea because no country would accept his remains.<ref name="remains"/> Before disposing of the body, the U.S. called the Saudi government, who approved of dumping the body in the ocean.<ref name="Getting Bin Laden"/> [[Islamic funeral|Muslim religious rites]] were performed aboard the ''Carl Vinson'' in the North Arabian Sea within 24 hours of bin Laden's death. Preparations began at 10:10 a.m. local time and at-sea burial was completed at 11 a.m. The body was washed, wrapped in a white sheet and placed in a weighted plastic bag. An officer read prepared religious remarks which were translated into Arabic by a native speaker. Afterward, bin Laden's body was placed onto a flat board. The board was tilted upward on one side and the body slid off into the sea.<ref name="navyburial"/>

====Pakistan-U.S. communication====
According to Obama administration officials, U.S. officials did not share information about the raid with the government of Pakistan until it was over.<ref name="ref-5"/><ref name="dawn20110502"/> Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff [[Michael Mullen]] called Pakistan's army chief [[Ashfaq Parvez Kayani]] at about 3 a.m. local time to inform him of the Abbottabad Operation.<ref name="nyt20110505"/>

According to the Pakistani foreign ministry, the operation was conducted entirely by the U.S. forces.<ref name="ref-32"/> Pakistan [[Inter-Services Intelligence]] (ISI) officials said they were present at what they called a joint operation;<ref name="LAT20110502"/> President [[Asif Ali Zardari]] flatly denied this.<ref name="ref-111"/> Pakistan's foreign secretary [[Salman Bashir]] later confirmed that Pakistani military had scrambled [[General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon|F-16s]] after they became aware of the attack but that they reached the compound after American helicopters had left.<ref name="wsj20110505"/>

====Identification of the body====
U.S. forces used multiple methods to positively identify the body of Osama bin Laden:
* '''Measurement of the body:''' Both the corpse and bin Laden were {{convert|6|ft|4|in|cm|abbr=on}}; SEALs on the scene did not have a tape measure to measure the corpse, so a SEAL of known height lay down next to the body and the height was approximated by comparison.<ref name="ST6return"/>
* '''Facial recognition software:''' A photograph transmitted by the SEALs to CIA headquarters in [[Langley, Virginia]], for [[facial recognition system|facial recognition]] analysis yielded a 90 to 95 percent likely match.<ref name="ref-94"/>
* '''In-person identification:''' One or two women from the compound, including one of bin Laden's wives,<ref name="ref-47"/> identified bin Laden's body.<ref name="ref-94"/> A wife of bin Laden called him by name during the raid, inadvertently assisting in his identification by U.S. armed forces on the ground.<ref name="ref-114"/>
* '''DNA testing:''' The [[Associated Press]] and ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that bin Laden's body could be identified by [[DNA profiling|DNA testing]]<ref name="ref-96"/><ref name="ref-13"/> using tissue and blood samples taken from his sister who had died of brain cancer.<ref name="ref-14"/> ABC News stated, "Two samples were taken from bin Laden: one of these DNA samples was analyzed, and information was sent electronically back to Washington, D.C., from Bagram. Someone else from Afghanistan is physically bringing back a sample."<ref name="ref-94"/> A military medic took [[bone marrow]] and swabs (probably [[buccal swab]]s) from the body to use for the DNA testing.<ref name="Getting Bin Laden"/> According to a senior US Defense Department official:
{{cquote|DNA ([[deoxyribonucleic acid]]) analysis conducted separately by Department of Defense and CIA labs has positively identified Osama bin Laden. DNA samples collected from his body were compared to a comprehensive DNA profile derived from bin Laden's large extended family. Based on that analysis, the DNA is unquestionably his. The possibility of a mistaken identity on the basis of this analysis is approximately one in 11.8 quadrillion.<ref name="globalDOD" />}}
* '''Inference:''' Per the same Defense official, from the initial review of the materials removed from the Abbottabad compound the Department "assessed that much of this information, including personal correspondence between Osama bin Laden and others, as well as some of the video footage...would only have been in his possession."<ref name="globalDOD" />

===Local accounts===
Beginning at 12:58&nbsp;a.m. local time, Abbottabad resident Sohaib Athar sent a series of [[Twitter|tweets]] describing the noise of helicopters hovering overhead—"a rare occurrence"—and several window-rattling blasts. By 1:44&nbsp;a.m. all was quiet until a plane flew over the city at 3:39&nbsp;a.m.<ref name="livetwitter"/> Neighbors took to their roofs and watched as American special forces stormed the compound. One neighbor said, "I saw soldiers emerging from the helicopters and advancing towards the house. Some of them instructed us in chaste [[Pashto language|Pashto]] to turn off the lights and stay inside."<ref name="deceit"/> Another man said he heard shooting and screams, then an explosion as a grounded helicopter was destroyed. The blast broke his bedroom window and left charred debris over a nearby field.<ref name="spooked"/> A local security officer said he entered the compound shortly after the Americans left, before it was sealed off by the army. "There were four dead bodies, three male and one female and one female was injured," he said. "There was a lot of blood on the floor and one could easily see the marks like a dead body had been dragged out of the compound." Numerous witnesses reported that power, and possibly cellphone service,<ref name="chopper"/> went out around the time of the raid and apparently included the military academy.<ref name="placeinhistory"/><ref name="livingnextdoor"/> Accounts differed as to the exact time of the blackout. One journalist concluded after interviewing several residents that it was a routine [[rolling blackout]].<ref name="osamaoperation"/>

ISI reported after questioning survivors of the raid that there were 17 to 18 people in the compound at the time of the attack and that the Americans took away one person still alive, possibly a bin Laden son. The ISI said that survivors included a wife, a daughter and eight to nine other children, not apparently bin Laden's. An unnamed Pakistani security official was quoted as saying one of bin Laden's daughters told Pakistani investigators that bin Laden had been captured alive, then in front of family members was shot dead by American forces and dragged to a helicopter.<ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42892575/ns/world_news-death_of_bin_laden/ "Differing accounts emerge of bin Laden raid"]. msnbc.com. May 4, 2011.</ref><ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1383106/Osama-Bin-Laden-dead-Wife-watched-die-White-House-reveals-WASNT-armed.html "Shot dead 'with money sewn into his clothes': Bin Laden was captured alive and then executed, 'claims daughter, 12'"]. DailyMail. UK. May 4, 2011.</ref><ref name="shotdead"/>

===Compound residents===
U.S. officials said there were 22 people in the compound. Five were killed, including Osama bin Laden.<ref name="secretteam"/> Pakistani officials gave conflicting reports suggesting up to 17 survivors.<ref name="nytchildren"/> ''[[The Sunday Times]]'' subsequently published excerpts from a pocket guide, presumably dropped by the SEALs during the raid, containing pictures and descriptions of likely compound residents.<ref name="pocketguide"/> The guide listed several adult children of bin Laden and their families who were not ultimately found in the compound.<ref name="binladenmole"/> Because of a lack of verifiable information, some of what follows is thinly sourced.<ref name="nytchildren"/>
*'''5 adults dead:''' [[Osama bin Laden]], 54;<ref name="abuhamza"/> [[Bin Laden family#Osama bin Laden's children|Khalid]], his son by Siham (identified as [[Hamza bin Laden|Hamza]] in early accounts), 23;<ref name="nytchildren"/><ref name="binladenmole"/> Arshad Khan, a.k.a. [[Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti]], the courier, described as the "flabby" one by ''The Sunday Times'', 33;<ref name="nytchildren"/><ref name="pocketguide"/> Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti's brother Abrar, 30; and Bushra, Abrar's wife, age unknown.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2011/0803/1224301774407.html |title='No one wanted detainees' in raid on bin Laden house - The Irish Times - Wed, Aug&nbsp;3,&nbsp;2011 |publisher=The Irish Times |date=August 3, 2011 |accessdate=August 23, 2011}}</ref><ref name="goodneighbours"/><ref name="secretlife"/>
*'''4 surviving women:''' [[Bin Laden family#Osama bin Laden's children|Khairiah]], bin Laden's third, Saudi wife a.k.a. Um Hamza, 62;<ref name="nytchildren"/><ref name="pocketguide"/> [[Bin Laden family#Osama bin Laden's children|Siham]], bin Laden's fourth, Saudi wife a.k.a. Um Khalid, 54;<ref name="nytchildren"/><ref name="pocketguide"/> Amal, bin Laden's fifth, Yemeni wife, a.k.a. [[Amal Ahmed Abdul Fatah]], 29 (injured);<ref name="deadlyraid"/><ref name="nytchildren"/> and an unidentified woman, either Arshad Khan's second, Pakistani wife,<ref name="nytchildren"/> or Khalid's wife and coincidentally the Khan brothers' sister, age unknown (injured).<ref name="secretlife"/>
*'''5 minor children of Osama and Amal:''' Safia, a daughter, 9 (injured); a son, 5; another son, age unknown; and infant twin daughters.<ref name="deadlyraid"/><ref name="pocketguide"/><ref name="demandsreturn"/><ref name="saudirefuses"/><ref name="haripur"/>
*'''4 bin Laden grandchildren''' from an unidentified daughter who had been killed in an airstrike in Waziristan. Two may be the boys, around 10, who spoke to Pakistani investigators.<ref name="nytchildren"/><ref name="daughterinfo"/>
*'''4 children of Arshad Khan:''' Two sons, Abdur Rahman and Khalid, 6 or 7; a daughter, age unknown; and another child, age unknown.<ref name="goodneighbours"/><ref name="plainsight"/>

===Alternate account===
A book published in November 2011, ''Seal Target Geronimo'', by [[Chuck Pfarrer]], contradicted the account as given by US Government sources. According to Pfarrer, neither helicopter crashed at the beginning of the raid. Instead, the SEALs jumped into the roof from the hovering Razor 1 helicopter and entered a third floor hallway from the roof terrace. Osama's third wife, Khairah was in the hallway headed towards the SEALs. She was blinded by a strobe light and pushed to the floor as the SEALs went past her. Osama bin Laden stuck his head out of a bedroom door, saw the SEALs, and slammed the door closed. At the same time, Osama's son Khalid bin Laden ran up the stairs to the third floor and was killed with two shots.<ref name="nypost18">Cahalan, Susannah, "[http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/real_story_of_team_charge_IHMzMvBw4Q7l6reGL20etJ Real Story Of Team 6's Charge]", ''[[New York Post]]'', 6 November 2011, p. 18.</ref><ref name=Pfarrer>{{cite book|last=Pfarrer|first=Chuck|title=SEAL Target Geronimo: The Inside Story of the Mission to Kill Osama bin Laden|year=November 2011|publisher=St.Martin's Press|isbn=978-1-250-00635-6|pages=190–197}}</ref> 

Two SEALs broke through the bedroom door. bin Laden's wife Amal was on edge of the bed shouting in Arabic at the SEALs and Osama bin Laden dived across the bed, shoving Amal at the same time, for an [[AKSU]] [[machine pistol]] kept by the headboard. The SEALs fired four shots at bin Laden, the first missed, the second grazed Amal in the calf also missing bin Laden, and the final two hit bin Laden in the chest and head, killing him instantly. In Pfarrer's account, the total time elapsed from jumping on the roof to Osama bin Laden's death was between 30 and 90 seconds.<ref name="nypost18"/><ref name="Pfarrer"/>

Around the same time, snipers in the hovering Razor 2 helicopter shot and killed Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti when he came to the door of the guesthouse firing an AK-47. One SEAL sniper fired two shots at al-Kuwaiti and the other fired two three-round bursts. Two of the snipers' bullets went through al-Kuwaiti and killed his wife who was standing behind him. The Razor 2 team cleared the guest house and then breached their way into the main house with explosives. As the Razor 2 team entered the main house al-Qaeda courier Arshad Khan pointed his AK-47 gun and was killed with two shots. The SEAL team fired a total a sixteen shots killing Osama bin Laden, Khalid bin Laden, Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti plus al-Kuwaiti's wife, Arshad Khan, and wounding Osama bin Laden's wife Amal al-Sadah.

Twenty minutes into the operation Razor 1 took off from the roof of the main house to reposition to a landing spot outside the compound. As Razor 1 was crossing over the courtyard both "green unit" flight deck control systems went off line. The helicopter settled slowly, bounced off the ground, and then broke apart as it hit the ground a second time. Both failed green units were removed for later examination.<ref name="nypost18"/><ref name="Pfarrer"/><ref name="Pfarrer"/>

Media accounts had reported that the plan had been to [[fast rope]] to the inner courtyard and to clear the main house from the ground floor up. The helicopter crashed in the outer courtyard with the SEAL team still on board. The SEAL exited and needed to breach two walls and then into the house. As a result Osama bin Laden was killed several minutes into the operation.<ref name="Getting Bin Laden"/> Pfarrer's account differs in that a SEAL team was inserted onto the roof of the main house, that Osama bin Laden was killed seconds into the operation, and the main house was cleared from the top down. The Pentagon disputed Pfarrer's account of the raid, calling it "incorrect."<ref name='Carroll2011'> {{cite web | url = http://www.stripes.com/blogs/stripes-central/stripes-central-1.8040/pentagon-says-new-bin-laden-raid-book-gets-details-wrong-1.160041 | title = Pentagon says new bin Laden raid book gets details wrong | accessdate = 2011-12-05 | last = Carroll | first = Chris | date = 2011-11-07 | work = Stripes Central | publisher = [[Stars and Stripes (newspaper)|Stars and Stripes]]}}</ref> The US Special Operations Command also disputed Pfarrer's account, saying, "It's just not true. It's not how it happened."<ref>Dozier, Kimberly, ([[Associated Press]]), "[http://news.yahoo.com/spec-ops-command-seal-raid-book-lie-090244352.html Spec-Ops Command: SEAL raid book 'a lie']", ''[[Yahoo! News]], 15 November 2011; retrieved 15 November 2011.</ref>

==Aftermath==
===Leaks of the news===
At around 9:45&nbsp;p.m. [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]], the White House announced that the president would be addressing the nation later in the evening.<ref name="leakedout"/> Anonymous government officials leaked details to the media, and by&nbsp;11 p.m. numerous major news sources were reporting that bin Laden was dead.<ref name="leakedout"/><ref>http://pakistanweatherportal.com/2011/05/05/bad-weather-caused-osama-to-live-for-24-hours/</ref>

===U.S. presidential address===
[[File:President Obama on Death of Osama bin Laden.ogv|thumb|[[Barack Obama|President Obama's]] address (9:28)<br>
''Also available:'' [[:File:050111 Osama Bin Laden Death Statement audioonly.ogg|Audio only]]; {{Cws |title=Full text |link=Remarks by the President on Osama bin Laden |nobullet=yes}}]]

At 11:35&nbsp;p.m., President Obama appeared on major television networks:<ref name="leakedout"/><blockquote>Good evening. Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda, and a terrorist who was responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children... {{Cws |title=''(cont'd)'' |link=Remarks by the President on Osama bin Laden |nobullet=yes}}</blockquote>President Obama remembered the victims of the [[September 11 attacks]]. He praised the ten-year-old war against al-Qaeda, which he said had disrupted terrorist plots, strengthened homeland defenses, removed the [[Taliban]] government, and captured or killed scores of al-Qaeda operatives. Obama said that when he took office he made finding bin Laden the top priority of the war. Bin Laden's death was the most significant blow to al-Qaeda so far but the war would continue. He reaffirmed that the United States was not at war against Islam. He defended his decision to conduct an operation within Pakistan. He said Americans understood the cost of war but would not stand by while their security was threatened. "To those families who have lost loved ones to al-Qaeda’s terror," he said, "justice has been done." This remark book-ended President Bush's statement to a joint session of Congress following the September 11th attacks that "justice will be done."

===Reactions===
{{main|Reactions to the death of Osama bin Laden}}
[[File:Binladen killed dc 3629.JPG|thumb|280px|right|Americans celebrating after the death of Osama bin Laden in front of [[the White House]]]]

Within minutes of the official announcement, large crowds spontaneously gathered outside the White House, [[World Trade Center site|Ground Zero]], [[the Pentagon]] and in New York's [[Times Square]] to celebrate. In [[Dearborn, Michigan]], where there is a large Muslim and Arab population, a small crowd gathered outside the City Hall in celebration, many of them being of Middle Eastern descent.<ref name="ref-56"/> From the beginning to the end of Obama's speech, 5,000 tweets per second were sent on microblogging platform Twitter.<ref name="ref-57"/> As news of bin Laden's death filtered through the crowd at a nationally-televised [[Major League Baseball]] game, [[U-S-A! cheer|"U-S-A!" cheers]] began.<ref name="ref-58"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Video-Phillies-fans-chant-8216-U-S-A-8217-?urn=mlb-wp5081 |title=Video: Phillies fans chant ‘U-S-A!’ after Osama bin Laden news |last1=Kaduk |first1=Kevin |date=2011-05-02 |work=Big League Stew |publisher=Yahoo! Inc. |accessdate=2011-09-14}}</ref> In Tampa, Florida, at the conclusion of a professional wrestling event which was occurring at the time, [[WWE Championship|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 song ''[[Stars and Stripes Forever]]''.<ref>{{Cite news | title = Wrestler's bizarre declaration of Osama bin Laden's death | work = The Telegraph | accessdate = 2011-09-15 | url = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/8490123/Wrestlers-bizarre-declaration-of-Osama-bin-Ladens-death.html | location=London | date=May 3, 2011}}</ref>

The deputy leader of Egypt's [[Muslim Brotherhood]] said that, with bin Laden dead, Western forces should now pull out of [[Iraq War|Iraq]] and [[War in Afghanistan (2001-present)|Afghanistan]]; authorities in Iran made similar comments.<ref name="ref-59"/> [[Palestinian Authority]] leaders had contrasting reactions. [[Mahmoud Abbas]] welcomed bin Laden's death, while [[Ismail Haniyeh]], the head of the [[Hamas]] administration in the [[Gaza Strip]], condemned what he saw as the assassination of an "Arab holy warrior".<ref name="ref-60"/>

The [[14th Dalai Lama]] was quoted by ''The Los Angeles Times'' as saying, "Forgiveness doesn't mean forget what happened. ... If something is serious and it is necessary to take counter-measures, you have to take counter-measures." This was widely reported as an endorsement of bin Laden's killing, but another journalist cited a video of the discussion to argue that the comment was taken out of context and the Dalai Lama only supports killing in self-defense.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/ME13Ad04.html |author=Peter Lee |title=Osama and the real Dalai Lama |work=[[Asia Times Online]] |date=May 13, 2011 |accessdate=May 30, 2011}}</ref>

A ''The New York Times''/CBS poll taken after bin Laden's death showed that 16% of Americans feel safer as the result of his death while 60% of Americans of those polled believe killing bin Laden likely would increase the threat of terrorism against the United States in the short term.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/04/bin-ladens-killing-helps-presidents-poll-numbers/ |title=Bin Laden’s Killing Helps President’s Poll Numbers |work=The New York Times |date=May 4, 2011 |accessdate=October 13, 2011}}</ref>

In India, [[Minister for Home Affairs (India)|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 [[2008 Mumbai attacks|Mumbai terror attacks]], including the controllers and the handlers of the terrorists who actually carried out the attack, continue to be sheltered in Pakistan". He also called on Pakistan to arrest them,<ref>{{cite news|title=India Uses Osama Death to Pressure Pakistan|url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704569404576298211101277924.html|date=May 2, 2011|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|last=Wright|first=Tom}}</ref> amidst calls for similar strikes being conducted by India against Hafeez Saeed and [[Dawood Ibrahim]].<ref name="indiahunt"/>

====Conspiracy theories====
{{main|Osama bin Laden death conspiracy theories}}
The reports of bin Laden's death on May 1, 2011 are not universally accepted<ref>{{cite news|last=Gold |first=Matea |url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-bin-laden-conspiracy-20110503,0,3052618.story |title=Osama bin Laden dead: Bin Laden's burial at sea fuels 'death hoax' rumor |work=Los Angeles Times |date= May 2, 2011|accessdate=May 4, 2011}}</ref> despite DNA testing confirming his identity,<ref name="ref-96"/><ref name="ref-13"/> Bin Laden's 12-year-old daughter witnessing his death,<ref name="BBC_Intel_Failure"/><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/04/osama-bin-laden-pakistan-us | location=London | work=The Guardian | first=Declan | last=Walsh | title=Osama bin Laden killing prompts U.S.-Pakistan war of words | accessdate=May 13, 2011 | date=May 4, 2011}}</ref> and a May 6, 2011 al-Qaeda statement confirming his death.<ref name="revenge"/> The swift burial of bin Laden's body at sea, speed of the DNA results, and the decision not to release pictures of the dead body formed the basis of conspiracy theories that bin Laden had not died in the raid.<ref>{{cite news|last=Egan |first=Mark |url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/03/us-binladen-conspiracies-idUSTRE7427LY20110503 |title=Bin Laden dead? Again? Conspiracy theories abound |publisher=Reuters |date=May 3, 2011 |accessdate=May 4, 2011}}</ref> Some Internet blogs suggested that the U.S. government feigned the raid, and some Internet forums hosted debates over the alleged hoax.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/8489304/Osama-bin-Laden-killed-conspiracy-theories-proliferate-in-wake-of-raid.html | title=Osama bin Laden killed: conspiracy theories proliferate in wake of raid | date=May 3, 2011 | work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] | accessdate=May 3, 2011 | location=London}}</ref>

===Legality===
====Under U.S. law====
Following the [[September 11 attacks|September 11, 2001 attacks]], the [[United States Congress|U.S. Congress]] passed the [[Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists]], which authorized the [[President of the United States|President]] to use "necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons" he determines were involved in the September 11 attacks."<ref name="WSJlegal"/> The [[Obama administration]] justified its use of force by relying on that resolution, as well as [[international law]] set forth in treaties and customary [[laws of war]].<ref name="ABC_13538365"/>

[[John Bellinger III]], who served as the [[U.S. State Department]]'s senior lawyer during [[George W. Bush|President George W. Bush]]'s second term, said the strike was a legitimate military action and did not run counter to the U.S.' self-imposed prohibition on assassinations:<blockquote>The killing is not prohibited by the long-standing assassination prohibition in [[Executive Order 12333|executive order 12333]] [signed in 1981], because the action was a military action in the ongoing U.S. armed conflict with al-Qaeda, and it is not prohibited to kill specific leaders of an opposing force. The assassination prohibition does not apply to killings in self-defense.<ref name="killingslegality"/></blockquote>

Similarly, [[Harold Hongju Koh]], [[Legal Adviser of the Department of State|Legal Adviser of the U.S. State Department]], said in 2010 that "under domestic law, the use of lawful weapons systems—consistent with the applicable laws of war—for precision [[targeted killing|targeting]] of specific high-level belligerent leaders when acting in self-defense or during an armed conflict is not unlawful, and hence does not constitute 'assassination'."<ref name="killingslegality"/>

[[David Scheffer]], director of the [[Northwestern University School of Law]] Center for International Human Rights, said the fact that bin Laden had previously been [[indict]]ed in 1998 in a [[United States District Court for the Southern District of New York|US District Court]] for conspiracy to attack U.S. defense installations was a complicating factor. "Normally when an individual is under indictment the purpose is to capture that person in order to bring him to court to try him... The object is not to literally [[summary execution|summarily execute]] him if he's under indictment."<ref name="reuters-legality"/> Scheffer and another expert opined that it was important to determine whether the mission was to capture bin Laden or to kill him. If the Navy SEALs were instructed to kill bin Laden without trying first to capture him, it "may have violated American ideals if not international law."<ref name="reuters-legality"/>

====Under international law====
In an address to the [[Pakistani parliament]], Pakistan's Prime Minister [[Yousaf Raza Gilani]] said, "Our people are rightly incensed on the issue of violation of sovereignty as typified by the covert U.S. air and ground assault on the Osama hideout in Abbottabad. ... The Security Council, while exhorting UN member states to join their efforts against terrorism, has repeatedly emphasized that this be done in accordance with [[international law]], [[human rights]] and [[humanitarian law]]."<ref name="pmspeech"/> Former Pakistani President Gen. [[Pervez Musharraf]] denied a report in ''The Guardian'' that his government made a secret agreement permitting U.S. forces to conduct unilateral raids in search of the top three al-Qaeda leaders.<ref name="secretagreement"/>

In testimony before the U.S. [[Senate Judiciary Committee]], Attorney General [[Eric Holder]] said, "The operation against bin Laden was justified as an act of national self-defense. It's lawful to target an enemy commander in the field." He called the killing of bin Laden "a tremendous step forward in attaining justice for the nearly 3,000 innocent Americans who were murdered on September 11, 2001."<ref name="holdersenate"/> Commenting on the legality under international law, [[University of Michigan]] Law Professor Steven Ratner said, "A lot of it depends on whether you believe Osama bin Laden is a combatant in a war or a suspect in a mass murder." In the latter case, "you would only be able to kill a suspect if they represented an immediate threat".<ref name="reuters-legality"/>

Holder testified that bin Laden made no attempt to surrender, and "even if he had there would be a good basis on the part of those very brave Navy SEAL team members to do what they did in order to protect themselves and the other people who were in that building."<ref name="holdersenate"/> According to Anthony Dworkin, an international law expert at the [[European Council on Foreign Relations]], if bin Laden was [[hors de combat]] (as his daughter is said to have alleged)<ref name="shotdead"/> that would have been a violation of [[Protocol I]] of the [[Geneva Conventions]].<ref name="expertsdivided"/>

The UN Security Council released a statement applauding the news of bin Laden's death, and [[UN Secretary-General]] [[Ban Ki-moon]] said he was "very much relieved".<ref name="bankimoon"/> Two [[United Nations Special Rapporteur]]s issued a joint statement cautioning that, "actions taken by States in combating terrorism, especially in high profile cases, set precedents for the way in which the right to life will be treated in future instances."<ref name="twoexperts"/>

===Handling of the body===
Under Islamic tradition, burial at sea is considered inappropriate when other, preferred forms of burial are available, and several prominent Islamic clerics criticized the decision.<ref name="ref-47"/><ref name="ref-46"/><ref name="ref-117"/> [[Mohamed Ahmed el-Tayeb]], the head of [[Al-Azhar University]], Egypt's seat of [[Sunni]] Muslim learning, said the disposal of the body at sea was an affront to religious and human values.<ref name="ref-118"/> Scholars like el-Tayeb hold that sea burials can only be allowed in special cases where the death occurred aboard a ship, and that the regular practice should have occurred in this case—the body buried in the ground with the head pointing to Islam's holy city of [[Mecca]].

A stated advantage of a burial at sea is that the site is not readily identified or accessed, thus preventing it from becoming a focus of attention or "terrorist shrine".<ref name="ref-41"/> ''[[The Guardian]]'' questioned whether bin Laden's grave would have become a shrine, as this is strongly discouraged in [[Wahhabism]]. Addressing the same concern, Egyptian Islamic analyst and lawyer [[Montasser el-Zayat]] said that if the Americans wished to avoid making a shrine to bin Laden, an unmarked grave on land would have accomplished the same goal.<ref name="ref-46"/>

''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.<ref name="guardian01"/> A professor of [[Islamic Law]] at the [[University of Jordan]] stated burying at sea was permitted if there was nobody to receive the body and provide a Muslim burial,<ref>{{cite news |title=Islamic scholars criticize bin Laden's sea burial |author=Hamza Hendawi |url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/may/02/islamic-scholars-criticize-bin-ladens-sea-burial/ |newspaper=[[San Diego Union Tribune]] |date=May 2, 2011 |accessdate=May 4, 2011}}</ref> and that "it's neither true nor correct to claim that there was nobody in the Muslim world ready to receive bin Laden's body".<ref name="ref-46"/> On a similar note, Mohammed al-Qubaisi, Dubai's grand [[mufti]], stated: "They can say they buried him at sea, but they cannot say they did it according to Islam. If the family does not want him, it's really simple in Islam: you dig up a grave anywhere, even on a remote island, you say the prayers and that's it. Sea burials are permissible for Muslims in extraordinary circumstances. This is not one of them."<ref name="ref-46"/>
Khalid Latif, an [[imam]] who serves as a chaplain and the director of the Islamic Center of [[New York University]], argued that the sea burial was respectful.<ref name="ref-120"/>

Leor Halevi, a professor at Vanderbilt University and the author of "Muhammad's Grave: Death Rites and the Making of Islamic Society", explained that Islamic law does not prescribe ordinary funerals for those killed in battle, and pointed to controversy within the Muslim world over whether bin Laden was, as a "mass murderer of Muslims", entitled to the same respect as mainstream Muslims. At the same time, he suggested that the burial could have been handled with more cultural sensitivity.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/08/opinion/08halevi.html | work=The New York Times | first=Leor | last=Halevi | title=Watery Grave, Murky Law | date=May 7, 2011}}</ref>

[[Omar bin Laden]], son of Osama bin Laden, published a complaint on May 10, 2011, that the burial at sea deprived the family of a proper burial.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/11/world/asia/binladen-statement.html "Statement From the Family of Osama bin Laden"]. ''[[The New York Times]]''. May 10, 2011.</ref>

===Bin Laden's will===
After bin Laden's death, it was reported he had left a will written a short time after 9/11<ref>{{cite news|last=Black|first=Ian|title=Bin Laden's will says his children must not join al-Qaida|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/03/bin-laden-will-wives-children|newspaper=Guardian|date=3 May 2011|location=London}}</ref> in which he urged his children not to join Al-Qaeda and not to continue the Jihad.<ref>{{cite news|last=Flock|first=Elizabeth|title=Osama bin Laden tells his children not to fight jihad in his will|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/osama-bin-laden-tells-children-not-to-fight-jihad-in-his-will/2011/05/04/AFDP4UmF_blog.html|accessdate=12 October 2011|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=4 May 2011}}</ref>

===Release of photographs===
CNN cited a senior U.S. official as saying three sets of photographs of bin Laden's body exist: Photos taken at a [[hangar]] in Afghanistan, described as the most recognizable and gruesome; photos taken from the burial at sea on the USS ''Carl Vinson'' before a shroud was placed around his body; and photos from the raid itself, which include shots of the interior of the compound as well as three of the others who died in the raid.<ref name="cnnpictures"/>

A source told ABC News that the photos taken by the military servicemen on the scene depict the physical damage done by a "high-[[caliber]] bullet".<ref name="ST6return"/> ''[[CBS Evening News]]'' reported that the photo shows that the bullet which hit above bin Laden's left eye blew out his left eyeball and blew away a large portion of his frontal skull, exposing his brain.<ref>[[CBS Evening News]], May 4, 2011.</ref> CNN stated that the pictures from the Afghanistan hangar depict "a massive open head wound across both eyes. It's very bloody and gory."<ref name="cnnpictures"/> [[United States Senate|Senator]] [[Jim Inhofe]], who viewed the photos, stated that the photos taken of the body on the ''Carl Vinson'', which showed bin Laden's face after much of the blood and material had been washed away, should be released to the public.<ref name="photographicproof"/>

A debate on whether the military photos should or should not be released to the public has taken place.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2011/05/to-release-or-not-to-release-bin-laden-death-photos-spark-debate/1 |title=White House: Releasing 'gruesome' bin Laden photo could be 'inflammatory' |work=USA Today |date=May 3, 2011 |accessdate=May 3, 2011 |first=Michael |last=Winter}}</ref> Those supporting the release argued that the photos should be considered [[public records]],<ref>Kevin Drum, [http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2011/05/public-records-should-bepublic "Public Records Should be.....Public"]" (May 4, 2011). ''Mother Jones''.</ref><ref>Kevin Drum, [http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2011/05/i-still-think-photos-should-be-released "I Still Think the Photos Should Be Released"] (May 4, 2011). ''Mother Jones''.</ref> that the photos are necessary to complete the journalistic record,<ref>Alice Park, [http://healthland.time.com/2011/05/05/what-is-too-gruesome-an-argument-for-releasing-bin-ladens-photo/ "What Is Too Gruesome? An Argument for Releasing bin Laden's Photo"] (May 5, 2011), interview with Barbie Zelizer. ''Time''.</ref> and that the photos would prove bin Laden's death and therefore prevent [[Conspiracy theory|conspiracy theories]] that bin Laden is still alive. Those in opposition to a release of the photos expressed concern that the photos would inflame [[Anti-Americanism|anti-American sentiment]] in the Middle East.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/desire-osama-bin-laden-death-photo-grows/story?id=13516795 |title=Release Bin Laden Death Photos? CIA Director Thinks It Will Happen|publisher=ABC News |date=May 3, 2011 |accessdate=May 3, 2011}}</ref>

President Obama ultimately decided not to release the photos.<ref name="abcnophotos"/> In an interview set to air on May 4 on ''[[60 Minutes]]'', Obama stated that "We don't trot out this stuff as trophies. We don't need to [[Spike (gridiron football)#Spiking after scoring|spike the football]]", and 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. That's not who we are."<ref name="kroft"/> Among Republican members of Congress, Senator [[Lindsey Graham]] criticized the decision and stated that he wanted to see the photos released, while Senator [[John McCain]] and Representative [[Mike Rogers (Michigan politician)|Mike Rogers]], the chair of the [[United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence|House Intelligence Committee]], supported the decision not to release the photos.<ref>James Rosen and Steven Thomma, "[http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/05/05/2202186/sc-sen-graham-wants-bin-laden.html S.C. Sen. Graham wants bin Laden photos released]{{dead link|date=July 2011}}" (May 5, 2011) McClatchy Newspapers.</ref><ref>Domenico Montanaro, "[http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/05/04/6583783-key-republicans-say-dont-release-bin-laden-photo Key Republicans say don't release bin Laden photo]" (May 4, 2011). NBC News.</ref>

On May 11, select members of [[United States Congress|Congress]] (the congressional leadership and those who serve in a committee of intelligence, homeland security, judiciary, foreign relations, and military) were shown 15 bin Laden photos. In an interview with [[Eliot Spitzer]], [[United States Senator|Senator]] [[Jim Inhofe]] said that three of the photos were of bin Laden alive for identification reference. Three other photos were of the sea burial ceremony.<ref>"[http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/05/11/congress.bin.laden.photos/index.html?hpt=T2 Members of Congress see bin Laden photos]" (May 11, 2011). CNN.</ref>

The group [[Judicial Watch]] announced that they have filed a [[Freedom of Information Act (United States)|Freedom of Information Act]] request to obtain access to the photos.<ref>Kevin Bogardus, [http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/159503-watchdog-group-prepared-to-sue-for-bin-laden-photos "Watchdog group is prepared to sue for photos of bin Laden"] (May 5, 2011). ''The Hill''.</ref><ref name="foia"/> On May 9, the Department of Defense declined to process Judicial Watch's FOIA request, prompting a lawsuit.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2011/05/first-suit-filed-bin-laden-death-photos/37689|title=First Lawsuit Filed for Bin Laden Death Photos|author=John Hudson|publisher=The Atlantic Wire|accessdate=July 1, 2011}}</ref> A FOIA request from the Associated Press has also been declined.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/05/14/general-us-bin-laden-photos_8466634.html|title=Pentagon: No quick review of bin Laden photos' bid|author=Richard Lardner|publisher=Forbes|deadurl=yes}}{{dead link|date=July 2011}}</ref>

===Role of Pakistan===
{{See also|Allegations of support system in Pakistan for Osama bin Laden}}
Pakistan came under intense international scrutiny after the raid. The Pakistani government denied that it had sheltered bin Laden. It said it had been sharing information about the compound with the CIA and other intelligence agencies since 2009.<ref name="scrutiny"/> After the raid, there was an unconfirmed report that Pakistan allowed Chinese military officials to examine the wreckage of the crashed helicopter. <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rttnews.com/Content/Policy.aspx?Id=1694420 |title=Panetta: U.S. Concerned Over Pakistan's Relationships |publisher=Rttnews.com |date=August 17, 2011 |accessdate=August 23, 2011}}</ref>

====Connections with Abbottabad====

[[File:Abbottabad View.JPG|thumb|View of [[Abbottabad]], Pakistan (2011)]]

Abbottabad attracted refugees from fighting in the [[Federally Administered Tribal Areas|tribal areas]] and [[Swat, Pakistan|Swat Valley]], as well as [[Afghanistan]]. "People don't really care now to ask who's there," said [[Gohar Ayub Khan]], a former foreign minister and resident of the city. "That's one of the reasons why, possibly, he came in there."<ref name="failuretodiscover"/>

The city was home to at least one al-Qaeda leader before bin Laden. Operational chief Abu Faraj al-Libi reportedly moved his family to Abbottabad in mid-2003.<ref name="Abbottabad2003"/> Pakistan [[Inter-Services Intelligence]] (ISI) raided the house in December 2003 but did not find him.<ref name="AbbottabadScrutiny"/> A courier told interrogators that al-Libi used three houses in Abbottabad. Pakistani officials say they informed their American counterparts at the time that the city could be a hiding place for al-Qaeda leaders.<ref name="mistrust"/> In 2009 officials began providing the U.S. with intelligence about bin Laden's compound without knowing who lived there.<ref name="AbbottabadScrutiny"/>

On January 25, 2011,<ref name="Frenchmen"/> ISI arrested [[Umar Patek]], an Indonesian wanted in connection with the [[2002 Bali bombings|2002 Bali nightclub bombings]], while he was staying with a family in Abbottabad. Tahir Shehzad, a clerk at the post office, was arrested on suspicion of facilitating travel for al-Qaeda militants.<ref name="Abbottabad2003"/>

====Allegations against Pakistan====
{{See also|Allegations of support system in Pakistan for Osama bin Laden}}
Numerous allegations were made that the government of Pakistan had shielded bin Laden.<ref name="LAT20110502"/><ref name="wsj20110503"/><ref name="ref-62"/> Critics cited the very close proximity of bin Laden's heavily fortified compound to the Pakistan Military Academy, that the U.S. chose to not notify Pakistani authorities before the operation, and the double standards of Pakistan regarding the perpetrators of the [[2008 Mumbai attacks]].<ref name="ref-62"/><ref name="ref-62"/><ref name="ref-61"/><ref name="ref-63"/> U.S. government files, leaked by [[Wikileaks]], disclosed that American diplomats had been told that Pakistani security services were tipping off bin Laden every time U.S. forces approached. Pakistan's [[Inter-Services Intelligence]] (ISI), also helped smuggle al-Qaeda militants into Afghanistan to fight [[NATO]] troops. According to the leaked files, in December 2009, the [[government of Tajikistan]] had also told U.S. officials that many in Pakistan were aware of bin Laden's whereabouts.<ref name="DT20110502"/>

CIA chief [[Leon Panetta]] said the CIA had ruled out involving Pakistan in the operation, because it feared that "any effort to work with the Pakistanis could jeopardize the mission. They might alert the targets."<ref name="time20110503"/> However, Secretary of State [[Hillary Rodham Clinton]] stated that "cooperation with Pakistan helped lead us to bin Laden and the compound in which he was hiding".<ref name="ref-86"/> Obama echoed her sentiments.<ref name="Walsh"/> [[John O. Brennan]], Obama's chief counterterrorism advisor, said that it was inconceivable that bin Laden did not have support from within Pakistan. He further stated: "People have been referring to this as hiding in plain sight. We are looking at how he was able to hide out there for so long."<ref name="Guard20110502"/>

[[File:AbbottabadCityatNight.jpg|thumb|Abbottabad, Pakistan, at night, showing the lights of the city]]
[[Minister for Home Affairs (India)|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 [[2008 Mumbai attacks|Mumbai terror attacks]], including the controllers and the handlers of the terrorists who actually carried out the attack, continue to be sheltered in Pakistan". He called on Pakistan to arrest them.<ref>{{cite news|title=India Uses Osama Death to Pressure Pakistan|url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704569404576298211101277924.html|date=May 2, 2011|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |first=Tom|last=Wright}}</ref>

Pakistani-born British [[Member of Parliament|MP]] [[Khalid Mahmood]] stated that he was "flabbergasted and shocked" after he learned that bin Laden was living in a city with thousands of Pakistani troops, reviving questions about alleged links between al-Qaeda and elements in Pakistan's security forces.<ref name="ind20110502"/>

On August 7, 2011, the American spy novelist and security analyst [[Raelynn Hillhouse]] published an account on her national security blog "The Spy Who Billed Me"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thespywhobilledme.com/the_spy_who_billed_me/2011/08/bin-laden-turned-in-by-informant-courier-was-cover-story.html |title=Bin Laden Turned in by Informant - Courier Was Cover Story |publisher=The Spy Who Billed Me |date=2011-08-07 |accessdate=2011-12-03}}</ref> that suggested Pakistan's ISI had been sheltering bin Laden in return for a $25 million [[Bounty (reward)|bounty]], however ISI and government officials have denied the allegations.<ref>{{cite news|last=Crilly|first=Rob|title=Osama bin Laden 'protected by Pakistan in return for Saudi cash'|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/al-qaeda/8693111/Osama-bin-Laden-protected-by-Pakistan-in-return-for-Saudi-cash.html|accessdate=August 11, 2011|newspaper=''[[The Daily Telegraph]]''|date=August 10, 2011|location=London}}</ref> Former Pakistani Army Chief, General [[Ziauddin Butt]] has said that, according to his knowledge, Osama bin Laden was kept in an Intelligence Bureau safe house in Abbottabad by the then Director-General of the [[Intelligence Bureau of Pakistan]] (2004–2008), Brigadier [[Ijaz Shah]]. This had occurred with the "full knowledge" of former army chief General Pervez Musharraf and possibly that of current Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General [[Ashfaq Pervez Kayani]].<ref>Jamal, Arif (December 22, 2011), [http://www.jamestown.org/programs/gta/single/?cHash=b3da5dd4a1af2664ec4821b405dae77b&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=38819 Former Pakistan Army Chief Reveals Intelligence Bureau Harbored Bin Laden in Abbottabad], ''Jamestown.org''</ref>

====Pakistani response====
According to a Pakistani intelligence official, raw phone-tap data had been transferred to the United States without being analyzed by Pakistan. While the U.S. "was concentrating on this" information since September 2010, information regarding bin Laden and the compound's inhabitants had "slipped from" Pakistan's "radar" over the months. Bin Laden left "an invisible footprint" and he had not been contacting other militant networks. It was noted that much focus had been placed on a courier entering and leaving the compound. The transfer of intelligence to the U.S. was a regular occurrence according to the official, who also stated regarding the raid that "I think they came in undetected and went out the same day", and Pakistan did not believe that U.S. personnel were present in the area before the special operation occurred.<ref name="Walsh"/>

According to the Pakistani high commissioner to the United Kingdom, [[Wajid Shamsul Hasan]], Pakistan had prior knowledge that an operation would happen. Pakistan was "in the know of certain things" and "what happened, happened with our consent. Americans got to know him—where he was first—and that's why they struck it and struck it precisely." Husain Haqqani, Pakistani ambassador to the U.S., had said that Pakistan would have pursued bin Laden had the intelligence of his location existed with them and Pakistan was "very glad that our American partners did. They had superior intelligence, superior technology, and we are grateful to them."<ref name="Walsh"/>

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. He also said that "in any event, we did not want anything to do with such an operation in case something went wrong."<ref name="Walsh"/>

In June the [[Inter-Services Intelligence|ISI]] arrested the owner of a safe house rented to the CIA to observe Osama bin Laden's compound and five CIA informants.<ref>{{cite news|author= |url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2077798,00.html |title=Bin Laden: Pakistan Arrests CIA Informants AP |publisher=Time.com |date=June 14, 2011 |accessdate=July 6, 2011}}</ref>

===Code name===
{{See also|Code name Geronimo controversy}}
Several officials who were present in the [[White House Situation Room|Situation Room]], including the president,<ref name="kroft"/> told reporters that the code name for bin Laden was "Geronimo". They had watched [[Leon Panetta]], speaking from [[George Bush Center for Intelligence|CIA headquarters]], while he narrated the action in Abbottabad. Panetta said, "We have a visual on Geronimo", and later, "Geronimo EKIA"--enemy [[killed in action]].<ref name="behindthehunt"/> The actual words of the commander on the ground were, "For God and country, Geronimo, Geronimo, Geronimo".<ref name="guthrie"/> Officials subsequently explained that each step of the mission was labelled alphabetically, called an "Execution Checklist", it is used to ensure all participants in a large operation are kept synchronized with a minimum of radio traffic.  "Geronimo" indicated the raiders had reached step "G", the capture or killing of bin Laden.<ref name="oneshotdeal"/> Osama bin Laden himself was identified as "Jackpot", the general code name for the target of an operation.<ref name="guthrie"/> ''ABC News'' reported that otherwise his regular code name was "Cakebread".<ref name="targetchapter6"/>  ''[[The New Yorker]]'' reported that bin Laden's codename was "Crankshaft".<ref name="Getting Bin Laden"/>

Many [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] were offended that [[Geronimo]], the legendary 19th century [[Apache]] , was irrevocably linked with bin Laden. The chairman of the [[Fort Sill Apache Tribe]], the successor to [[Chiricahua|Geronimo's tribe]], wrote a letter to President Obama asking him to "right this wrong".<ref name="apache"/> The president of the [[Navajo Nation]] requested that the U.S. government change the code name retroactively.<ref name="Montoya"/> Officials from the [[National Congress of American Indians]] said the focus should be on honoring the disproportionately high number of Native Americans serving in the military, and they had been assured that "Geronimo" was not a code name for bin Laden.<ref name="nativeamericans"/> The [[United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs|Senate Committee on Indian Affairs]] heard testimony on the issue from tribal leaders, while the Defense Department had no comment except to say that no disrespect was intended.<ref name="Montoya"/>

===Derivation of intelligence===
After the death of bin Laden, some officials from the Bush administration, such as Bush [[Office of Legal Counsel]] attorney [[John Yoo]]<ref>{{cite news|last=Yoo |first=John |url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703834804576301032595527372.html |title=John Yoo: From Guantanamo to Abbottabad |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=May 4, 2011 |accessdate=May 11, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/05/the-unrepentant-john-yoo-enhanced-interrogation-got-us-bin-laden/238356 |title=The Unrepentant John Yoo: 'Enhanced Interrogation' Got Us bin Laden&nbsp;— Andrew Cohen&nbsp;— Politics |work=The Atlantic |date=May 5, 2011 |accessdate=May 11, 2011}}</ref> and former [[attorney general]] under Bush [[Michael Mukasey]],<ref>{{cite news|last=Mukasey |first=Michael B. |url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703859304576305023876506348.html |title=Michael B. Mukasey: The Waterboarding Trail to bin Laden |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=May 6, 2011 |accessdate=May 13, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Thiessen |first=Marc A. |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/post/mukasey-responds-to-mccains-op-ed/2011/05/12/AFhhVO1G_blog.html |title=Mukasey responds to McCain's op-ed – PostPartisan |work=[[The Washington Post]] |date=May 12, 2011 |accessdate=May 13, 2011}}</ref> wrote Op/Eds claiming that [[enhanced interrogation techniques]] they authorized yielded the intelligence that later led to locating bin Laden's hideout.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2011-05-09-If-torture-led-to-bin-Laden-do-ends-justify-the-means_n.htm |title=Our view: If torture led to bin Laden, do ends justify the means? |work=USA Today |date= May 9, 2011|accessdate=May 11, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42863247/ns/world_news-death_of_bin_laden/t/bin-ladens-death-rekindles-enhanced-interrogation-debate/ |title=Bin Laden death rekindles interrogation debate |publisher=msnbc.com |date=May 2, 2011 |accessdate=May 11, 2011}}</ref> Mukasey specifically stated that the waterboarding of [[Khalid Sheikh Mohammed]] (KSM) was what brought out the crucial detail of the nickname of bin Laden's courier.<ref>{{cite news|last=Mukasey |first=Michael |url= http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703859304576305023876506348.html |title= The Waterboarding Trail to bin Laden |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=May 6, 2011 |accessdate=May 15, 2011}}</ref>

U.S. officials<ref>Alexander, Matthew, [http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/05/04/tortured_logic Tortured Logic: The United States Didn't Need to Waterboard Anyone to Get Osama Bin Laden] Foreign Policy, May 8, 2011.</ref> and legislators including Republican [[John McCain]]<ref name="stoplying"/> and Democrat [[Diane Feinstein]], Chairwoman of the [[United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence]], countered that those statements were "false", noting a report by CIA Director Leon Panetta stating that the first mention of the courier's nickname did not come from KSM, but rather from another government's interrogation of a suspect whom they said they "believe was not tortured". McCain called on Mukasey to retract his claims.<ref name="WashPostMcCain"/>

{{quote| "I have sought further information from the staff of the [[Senate Intelligence Committee]], and they confirm for me that, in fact, the best intelligence gained from a CIA detainee—information describing Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti's real role in Al-Qaeda and his true relationship to Osama bin Laden—was obtained through standard, non-coercive means, not through any 'enhanced interrogation technique.'"<ref name="stoplying"/>|John McCain}}

CIA director Leon Panetta had written a letter to McCain on the issue, stating, "Some of the detainees who provided useful information about the facilitator/courier's role had been subjected to enhanced interrogation techniques. Whether those techniques were the 'only timely and effective way' to obtain such information is a matter of debate and cannot be established definitively."<ref name="WashPostMcCain" /><ref name="informantstreatment"/> Although some information may have been obtained from detainees who were subjected to enhanced interrogation techniques, Panetta's letter to Senator McCain confirms that enhanced interrogation techniques may have hindered the search for Bin Laden by producing false information during interrogations. In the letter CIA Director Panetta wrote Senator McCain that
:"We first learned about the facilitator/courier's nom de guerre from a detainee not in CIA custody in 2002. It is also important to note that some detainees who were subjected to enhanced interrogation techniques attempted to provide false or misleading information about the facilitator/courier. These attempts to falsify the facilitator/courier's role were alerting. In the end, no detainee in CIA custody revealed the facilitator/courier's full true name or specific whereabouts. This information was discovered through other intelligence means."<ref name="cialetterwapo"/>

In addition, other U.S. officials claim that shortly after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, detainees in [[CIA secret prisons]] told interrogators about the courier's pseudonym "al-Kuwaiti" and that when Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was later captured, he only "confirmed" the courier's pseudonym. After [[Abu Faraj al-Libbi]] was captured he provided false or misleading information: he denied that he knew al-Kuwaiti and he made up another name instead.<ref name="phonecall"/> Also, a group of interrogators asserted that the courier's nickname, was not divulged "during torture, but rather several months later, when [detainees] were questioned by interrogators who did not use abusive techniques."<ref>Mulrine, Anna, [http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Military/2011/0505/Military-interrogators-Waterboarding-didn-t-yield-tips-that-led-to-bin-Laden/(page)/2 Military interrogators: Waterboarding didn't yield tips that led to bin Laden] Christian Science Monitor, May 5, 2011.</ref>

===Intelligence post mortem===
[[File:Osama bin Laden watching himself on TV.ogv|thumb|One of bin Laden's videos seized from his compound]]
Evidence seized from the compound is said to include ten cell phones, five to ten computers, twelve hard drives, at least 100 computer disks (including [[thumb drives]] and [[DVD]]s), handwritten notes, documents, weapons and "an assortment of personal items."<ref name="cbsphonenos"/> Intelligence analysts will also study [[call detail record]]s from two phone numbers that were found to be sewn into bin Laden's clothing.<ref name="cbsphonenos"/>

The material gathered at the compound is being stored at the [[FBI Laboratory]] in [[Quantico, Virginia]], where [[forensic science|forensic]] experts will analyze [[fingerprint]]s, [[DNA]] and other [[trace evidence]] left on the material.<ref name="cbsphonenos"/> Copies of the material are being provided to other agencies; officials want to preserve a [[chain of custody]] in case any of the information is needed as evidence in a future trial.

A special CIA team has been given the responsibility of combing through the digital material and documents removed from the bin Laden compound.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/osama-bin-laden-evidence-trove-us-al-qaedas/story?id=13517804|title=Osama Bin Laden Evidence Trove: U.S. Hopes to Follow al Qaeda's Money Trail|first=Matthew|last=Mosk|publisher=ABC News|accessdate=May 3, 2011}}</ref> The CIA team is working in collaboration with other U.S. government agencies "to triage, catalog and analyze this intelligence."<ref name="globalDOD"/>

Bin Laden's youngest wife told Pakistani investigators that the family lived in the [[Feudalism in Pakistan|feudal]] village of Chak Shah Mohammad Khan, in the nearby district of [[Haripur District|Haripur]], for two-and-a-half years prior to moving to Abbottabad in late 2005.<ref name="haripur"/>

===Helicopter stealth technology revelations===
The [[Tail rotor|tail section]] of the secret helicopter survived demolition and lay just outside the compound wall.<ref name="helostealth"/> Pakistani security forces put up a cloth barrier at first light to hide the wreckage.<ref name="myneighbor"/> Later, a tractor hauled it away hidden under a tarp.<ref name="littlenotice"/> Journalists nevertheless managed to obtain photographs which revealed the previously undisclosed [[stealth technology]]. ''Aviation Week'' said the helicopter appeared to be a significantly modified [[Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk|MH-60 Black Hawk]]. Serial numbers found at the scene were consistent with an MH-60 built in 2009.<ref name="notnew"/> Its performance during the operation confirmed that a [[stealth helicopter]] could evade detection in a militarily sensitive, densely populated area. Photos showed that Black Hawk's tail had stealth-configured shapes on the boom and the [[Aircraft fairing|fairings]], swept [[Stabilizer (aircraft)|stabilizers]] and a "hubcap" over the noise-reducing five- or six-blade tail rotor. It appeared to have a silver-loaded [[Infrared signature|infrared suppression]] finish similar to some [[V22 Osprey|V-22 Ospreys]].<ref name="helostealth"/> The U.S. requested return of the wreckage and the Chinese government also expressed interest, according to Pakistani officials. Pakistan had custody of the wreckage for over two weeks before its return was secured by [[John Kerry|US Senator John Kerry]].<ref name="kerry"/> Experts disagreed as to how much information could have been gleaned from the tail fragment. Stealth technology was already operational on several [[Stealth aircraft|fixed-wing aircraft]] and the cancelled [[Boeing/Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche|RAH-66 Comanche]] helicopter- however, the modified Black Hawk was the first confirmed operational "stealth helicopter". Likely, the most valuable information could come from radar-absorbing paint used on the tail section.<ref name="helostealth"/><ref name="armsrace"/> Local children were seen picking up pieces of the wreckage and selling them as souvenirs.<ref name="goodneighbours"/> In August 2011, reports surfaced that Pakistan had allowed the People's Republic of China scientists to examine the helicopter's tail section and were especially interested in its radar-absorbing paint.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/08/15/report-pakistan-granted-china-access-to-uss-top-secret-bin-laden-raid-chopper|title=Report: Pakistan Granted China Access to U.S.'s Top-Secret Bin Laden Raid Chopper|publisher=Fox | date=August 15, 2011}}</ref> Pakistan and the PRC subsequently denied these claims.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/232466/army-denies-providing-china-access-to-bin-laden-raid-chopper/ |title=US helicopter wreckage: Pakistan denies giving China access – The Express Tribune |publisher=Tribune.com.pk |date=August 14, 2011 |accessdate=August 23, 2011}}</ref>

==Previous attempts to capture or kill bin Laden==
{{see also|Battle of Tora Bora|Location of Osama bin Laden}}
[[File:Strikes on Tora Bora.png|thumb|Air strikes on Tora Bora in 2001]]
* '''February 1994:''' A team of [[Libya]]ns attacked bin Laden's home in the [[Sudan]]. The CIA investigated and reported that they had been hired by [[Saudi Arabia]], but Saudi Arabia accused them of lying to make bin Laden more amenable to Sudanese interests.<ref name="ref-128"/><ref name="loomingtower"/>
* '''August 20, 1998:''' In [[Operation Infinite Reach]], the U.S. Navy launched 66 cruise missiles at a suspected al-Qaeda training camp outside [[Khost|Khost, Afghanistan]], where bin Laden was expected to be. Reports said that 30 people may have been killed.<ref name="post"/>
* '''2000:''' Foreign operatives working on behalf of the CIA fired a [[rocket-propelled grenade]] at a convoy of vehicles in which bin Laden was traveling through the mountains of Afghanistan, hitting one of the vehicles but not the one in which bin Laden was riding.<ref name="cbs"/>
* '''December 2001:''' During the opening stages of the war in Afghanistan launched following the [[September 11 attacks]], the U.S. and its allies believed that bin Laden was hiding in the rugged mountains at Tora Bora. Despite overrunning the Taliban and al-Qaeda positions, they failed to capture or kill him.<ref name="NY Times Magazine"/>

==See also==
{{Portal box|Military of the United States|Pakistan|Terrorism}}
* [[Coup de main]]
* [[FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives]]
* [[High-value target]]
* [[Special Activities Division]]
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2011}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em|refs=
<ref name="deadlyraid">{{cite news |title=Osama bin Laden killed: Behind the scenes of the deadly raid |author=Philip Sherwell |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/al-qaeda/8500431/Osama-bin-Laden-killed-Behind-the-scenes-of-the-deadly-raid.html |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=May 7, 2011 |accessdate=May 9, 2011 |location=London}}</ref>

<ref name="CIAled">{{cite news|last=Dilanian |first=Ken |url=http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-osama-bin-laden-cia-20110502,0,6466214.story |title=CIA led U.S. special forces mission against Osama bin Laden |work=Los Angeles Times |date=May 2, 2011 |accessdate=May 14, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="aftermath">{{cite web |url=http://afpak.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/05/04/the_bin_laden_aftermath_the_us_shouldnt_hold_pakistans_military_against_pakistans_c |title=The bin Laden aftermath: The U.S. shouldn't hold Pakistan's military against Pakistan's civilians |author=C. Christine Fair |date=May 4, 2011 |work=[[Foreign Policy]]|accessdate=May 10, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="revenge">{{cite news | author = Maggie Michael | url = http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=13543439 | title = Al-Qaida Vows Revenge for Osama Bin Laden's Death | agency = [[Associated Press]] | publisher = [[ABC News]]| date = May 6, 2011 | accessdate =May 6, 2011 }}</ref>

<ref name="torture">{{cite news |title=Bin Laden Raid Revives Debate on Value of Torture |first=Scott |last=Shane |last2=Savage | first2=Charlie |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/04/us/politics/04torture.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=May 3, 2011 |accessdate=May 4, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="realname">{{cite web |title=Osama Bin Laden: Navy SEALS Operation Details of Raid That Killed 9/11 Al Qaeda Leader |author=Brian Ross |coauthors=Matthew Cole, Avni Patel |url=http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/khalid-sheikh-muhammad-capture-osama-bin-laden-courier/story?id=13506413 |work=ABC News |date=May 2, 2011 |accessdate=May 7, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="pashtuns">{{cite news |title=Two quiet men lived in house of wonder |first=Emmanuel |last=Duparcq |first2=Sajjad | last2 = Tarakzai |url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/two-quiet-men-lived-in-house-of-wonder/story-fn8ljzlv-1226049481980 |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]] | publisher=[[The Australian]] |date=May 4, 2011 |accessdate=May 7, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="ref-96">{{cite news | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/03/world/asia/osama-bin-laden-dead.html | title = Obama Calls World 'Safer' After Pakistan Raid | work = [[The New York Times]] | first1 = Steven Lee | last1 = Myers | first2 = Elisabeth | last2 = Bumiller | date = May 2, 2011 | accessdate =May 3, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="ref-88">{{cite news | url = http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/05/video-inside-bin-ladens-drone-proof-compound/all/1 | title = Video: Inside bin Laden's Drone-Proof Compound | first = Spencer | last = Ackerman | first2 = Noah | last2 = Shachtman | work = [[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] | date = May 2, 2011 | accessdate =May 3, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="WaziristanHaveli">{{cite web |title= Osama mansion was called Waziristan Haveli
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<ref name="fedtimes">{{cite news|url=http://www.federaltimes.com/article/20110509/AGENCY02/105090301/1055/AGENCY|title=Intelligence fusion got bin Laden|author=Stephen Losey|publisher=Federal Times|accessdate=May 13, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="waposurveil">{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/cia-spied-on-bin-laden-from-safe-house/2011/05/05/AFXbG31F_story.html|title=CIA spied on bin Laden from safe house|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=May 5, 2011|author=Greg Miller|accessdate=May 6, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="sfgredteam">{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/05/03/MN2H1JB94F.DTL |title=Bin Laden data not had by torture, Feinstein says|work=San Francisco Chronicle|date=May 4, 2011|author=Carolyn Lochhead}}</ref>

<ref name=
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<ref name="aprisks">{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/04/bin-laden-mission-risk-obama_n_857320.html|title=Osama Bin Laden Death: Obama Ran Serious Risks With Mission To Kill Terrorist Leader|agency=Associated Press|author=Lolita C. Baldor|accessdate=May 13, 2011|work=Huffington Post|date=May 4, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="stormedroom">{{cite news |newspaper=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |url=http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/world/51742983-68/bin-laden-seals-compound.html.csp?page=1 | date = May 11, 2011 | title=Bin Laden was unarmed when SEALs stormed room |author=Matt Apuzzo |author2=Adam Goldman |accessdate=May 22, 2011 }}</ref>

<ref name="pbsinterview">{{cite news | url =http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/terrorism/jan-june11/panetta_05-03.html | title = CIA Chief Panetta: Obama Made 'Gutsy' Decision on Bin Laden Raid|date=May 3, 2011| publisher =PBS NewsHour |author=Jim Lehrer}}</ref>

<ref name="commandos">{{cite news |author=Mark Hosenball |agency=[[Reuters]] |url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/02/us-binladen-kill-idUSTRE74151S20110502 |title=U.S. commandos knew bin Laden likely would die |date= May 3, 2011 |accessdate=May 22, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="Getting Bin Laden">Schmidle, Nicholas, "[http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/08/08/110808fa_fact_schmidle?currentPage=all Getting Bin Laden]", ''[[The New Yorker]]'', August 8, 2011.</ref>

<ref name="spymilitary">{{cite news|author=Siobhan Gorman |author2=Julian E. Barnes |title= Spy, Military Ties Aided bin Laden Raid |url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704083904576334160172068344.html |newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]] (paywall) |date=May 23, 2011 |accessdate=June 18, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="behindthehunt">{{cite news | last = Mazzetti | first = Mark | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/03/world/asia/03intel.html | title = Behind the Hunt for Bin Laden | work = [[The New York Times]] | date = May 2, 2011 | accessdate =May 3, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="fortbragg">{{cite web |title=Sources: Bragg helped plan bin Laden raid |url=http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=8109778 |work=[[WTVD]] |date=May 3, 2011 |accessdate=June 18, 2011 }}</ref>

<ref name="secretteam">{{cite news |author=Marc Ambinder |title= The secret team that killed bin Laden |url=http://nationaljournal.com/whitehouse/the-secret-team-that-killed-bin-laden-20110502 |date=May 3, 2011| work=[[National Journal]] |accessdate=May 22, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="soldierspy">{{cite news |author= Kimberly Dozier |author2=Robert Burns |title=Raid raises question: Who's soldier, who's spy? |url=http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=13532735 |date=May 5, 2011 |newspaper=ABC News |agency=[[Associated Press]] |accessdate=June 30, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="abckillshot">{{cite news|title=ABC News' Kill Shot: The Story Behind bin Laden's Death}}</ref>

<ref name=seal>{{cite web|last=Viegas|first=Jennifer|title=A U.S. Navy Seals' Secret Weapon: Elite Dog Team|url=http://news.discovery.com/animals/a-us-navy-seals-secret-weapon-elite-dog-team-110503.html|publisher=Discovery.com|accessdate=May 5, 2011|date=May 2, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name=dogname>{{cite news|last=Brammer|first=Jack | title=Obama thanks special forces for daring bin Laden raid|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2014986679_obama07.html |accessdate=May 7, 2011|newspaper= [[The Seattle Times]] |date=May 7, 2011|coauthors=Steven Thomma}}</ref>

<ref name="globalsecneptune">[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/neptune-spear.htm Operation Neptune Spear - Raid on Osama Bin Laden's Hideout Compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

<ref name="dangerroomstealth">{{cite web|url=http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/05/aviation-geeks-scramble-to-i-d-osama-raids-mystery-copter/all/1|title=Aviation Geeks Scramble to ID bin Laden Raid's Mystery Copter|author=David Axe|work=Wired|accessdate=May 13, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="phonecall">{{cite news| author = Adam Goldman | coauthors = Matt Apuzzo | url=http://hamptonroads.com/2011/05/phone-call-kuwaiti-courier-led-bin-laden | title = Phone call by Kuwaiti courier led to bin Laden | newspaper=HamptonRoads.com |agency = Associated Press | date = May 3, 2011 | accessdate =December 25, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="graphic">{{cite news|author=Bonnie Berkowitz et al. |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/world/bin-laden-killed/? |title=Graphic: Osama bin Laden killed at compound in Pakistan  |date=May 5, 2011 |accessdate=June 6, 2011 |work=The Washington Post}}</ref>

<ref name="paknews">{{cite news|url=http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=5815&Cat=13&dt=5/7/2011|title=Terror king dead, crown prince alive|date=May 7, 2011|author=Amir Mir}}</ref>

<ref name="telegraphhamza">{{cite news | url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/8488238/Osama-bin-Laden-dead-son-and-presumed-heir-also-killed-in-raid.html | title=Osama bin Laden dead: son and presumed heir also killed in raid | date=May 2, 2011 | work=Daily Telegraph | location=London | first=Damien | last=McElroy}}</ref>

<ref name="theaustralian1">{{cite news|author=Christina Lamb and Nicola Smith |url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/geronimo-ekia-38-minutes-to-mission-success/story-e6frg6so-1226052094513 |title=Geronimo! EKIA 38 minutes to mission success |publisher=The Australian |date= May 9, 2011|accessdate=May 12, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="nbcpentagon">{{cite news | url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42906279/ns/world_news-death_of_bin_laden/ | title=Bin Laden 'firefight': Only one man was armed | author=Jim Miklaszewski | date=May 5, 2011 | publisher = [[msnbc.com]] }}</ref>

<ref name="nytonesided">{{cite news | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/us/politics/05binladen.html | title=Account Tells of One-Sided Battle in Bin Laden Raid | date=May 5, 2011 | author = Mark Landler | coauthors = Mark Mazzetti | work = [[The New York Times]] }}</ref>

<ref name="foxnews1">{{cite news|last=Rosen |first=James |url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/05/06/bin-laden-killing-white-house-pentagon-cia-botched-storyline/ |title=Bin Laden Killing: How the White House, Pentagon and CIA Botched the Storyline |publisher=Fox News |date=April 7, 2010 |accessdate=May 11, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="APsource">[http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=13541431 "US: Only Single Bin Laden Defender Shot at SEALs"] May 6, 2011 Pauline Jelinek and Robert Burns</ref>

<ref name="montrealtechnology">{{cite news | url=http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Laden+Obama+team+drama+unfold/4720187/story.html | title=Bin Laden: How Obama team saw drama unfold | work=Montreal Gazette | author = Martin Evans | coauthors = Gordon Rayner | date=May 3, 2011 }}</ref>

<ref name="ST6return">{{cite news|url=http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/navy-seals-return-united-states-killing-osama-bin/story?id=13525344|title=Navy SEALs Who Captured, Killed Osama Bin Laden Return to United States|accessdate=May 4, 2011 |author = Pierre Thomas |coauthors=Martha Raddatz, Jake Tapper and Jessica Hopper |date = May 4, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name=GuardianBooth>{{cite news | last=Booth | first=Robert | title=Osama bin Laden death: How family scene in compound turned to carnage | url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/05/bin-laden-death-family-compound | work= [[The Guardian]] | date = May 5, 2011 | accessdate=May 5, 2011 | location=London}}</ref>

<ref name="nytpakinvest">{{cite news | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/world/asia/05compound.html | title = Pakistani Military Investigates How Bin Laden Was Able to Hide in Plain View | work = [[The New York Times]] | first=Carlotta | last=Gall | date=May 4, 2011 | accessdate=May 4, 2011 }}</ref>

<ref name="abcnbarricades">{{cite news|url=http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/osama-bin-laden-death-president-obama-visit-ground/story?id=13533748|title=Osama Bin Laden Raiders Encountered False Door, Found Small Arsenal in Compound|date=May 5, 2011|publisher=ABC News|coauthors=Jake Tapper, Martha Raddatz, Jessica Hopper}}</ref>

<ref name="DODCNN">{{cite news|url=http://whitehouse.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05/03/what-happened-at-the-obl-compound/|title=What DOD says happened at the OBL compound | work=CNN | accessdate=July 1, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="oneshotdeal">{{cite news |author=Kimberly Dozier |title=AP sources: Raiders, White House knew secret bin Laden raid was a one-shot deal |url=http://www.suntimes.com/news/nation/5425816-418/sources-bin-laden-raiders-knew-mission-a-one-shot-deal.html |date= May 17, 2011 |newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |accessdate=June 23, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="remains">{{cite news |url=http://articles.cnn.com/2011-05-02/world/bin.laden.burial.at.sea_1_islamic-law-bin-burial |title='No land alternative' prompts bin Laden sea burial |last=Lawrence |first=Chris |date=May 2, 2011 |publisher=CNN |accessdate=30 August 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="navyburial">{{cite web | author = Jim Garamone | title = Bin Laden Buried at Sea | url = http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=60124 | publisher = [[American Forces Press Service]] | date = May 2, 2011 | accessdate =July 25, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="nyt20110505">{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/06/world/asia/06react.html|title=Pakistani Army Chief Warns U.S. on Another Raid|last=Perlez|first=Jane|date=May 5, 2011|work=The New York Times|accessdate=May 5, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="ref-111">{{cite news | last = Zardari | first = Asif Ali | authorlink = Asif Ali Zardari | url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/pakistan-did-its-part/2011/05/02/AFHxmybF_story.html | title = Pakistan did its part | work = [[The Washington Post]] | date = May 3, 2011 | accessdate =May 3, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="wsj20110505">{{cite news|url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704810504576305033789955132.html|title=Pakistan Rejects U.S. Criticism|last=Wright|first=Tom|date=May 5, 2011|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|accessdate=May 5, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="livetwitter">{{cite web |url=http://eu.techcrunch.com/2011/05/02/heres-the-guy-who-unwittingly-live-tweeted-the-raid-on-bin-laden/ |title=Here's the guy who unwittingly live-tweeted the raid on Bin Laden |author=Mike Butcher |date=May 2, 2011 |work=[[TechCrunch|TechCrunch Europe]] |accessdate=May 18, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="deceit">{{cite news |url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/story/osama-bin-laden-killed-by-us-forces-pak-trapped-in-web-of-deceit/1/137298.html |title=How Pak is Trapped in Web of Deceit |author=Qaswar Abbas |author2=Sandeep Unnithan |date=May 16, 2011 |newspaper=[[India Today]] |accessdate=May 19, 2011}}{{dead link|date=December 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="spooked">{{cite news |url=http://www.economist.com/blogs/banyan/2011/05/pakistan_and_afghanistan_after_bin_laden |title=Pakistan and Afghanistan, after bin Laden: Badly spooked |author=A.R. |date=May 4, 2011 |work=[[The Economist]] |accessdate=May 19, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="chopper">{{cite web |url=http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/national_world&id=8112975 |title=Navy SEAL Black Hawk was no ordinary chopper |author=Leslie Miller |date=May 4, 2011 |work=ABC News |accessdate=May 19, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="placeinhistory">{{cite news |url=http://articles.cnn.com/2011-05-03/world/bin.laden.abbottabad.pakistan_1_pakistani-city-helicopter-abbottabad?_s=PM:WORLD |title=A sleepy Pakistani city awakes to violence, a unique place in history |author=Aliza Kassim |author2=Giang Nguyen |date=May 3, 2011 |work=[[CNN]] |accessdate=May 19, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="livingnextdoor">{{cite web |url=http://www.rferl.org/content/hiding_in_plain_sight_how_neighbors_cant_believe_osama_lived_nextdoor/24090582.html |title='Can We Get Our Ball Back, Mister?' -- Living Next Door To Osama Bin Laden |author=Heather Maher |date=May 3, 2011 |work=[[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty]] |accessdate=May 19, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="osamaoperation">{{cite web |url=http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=5768&Cat=13&dt=May 5, 2011 |title=Neighbours say Army came after Osama operation |author=Usman Manzoor |date=May 5, 2011 |work=[[The News International]] |accessdate=May 19, 2011}}{{dead link|date=December 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="shotdead">{{cite news |url=http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/05/04/147782.html |title=Bin Laden's daughter confirms her father shot dead by U.S. Special Forces in Pakistan |author=Mushtaq Yusufzai |work=[[Al Arabiya]] |date=May 4, 2011 |accessdate=June 16, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="nytchildren">{{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/11/world/asia/11pakistan.html?ref=osamabinladen |title=U.S. Still Waits for Access to Bin Laden Widows |author=Carlotta Gall |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=May 10, 2011 |accessdate=May 22, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="pocketguide">{{cite news |author=Christina Lamb |title='CIA mole guided' SEALs to Osama bin Laden |url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/cia-mole-guided-seals-to-osama-bin-laden/story-e6frg6so-1226060653470 |newspaper=[[The Australian]] |date=May 23, 2011 |accessdate=May 22, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="binladenmole">{{cite news |title=Bin Lade: Mole may have helped compile book Navy Seals used in Pakistan raid |url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1389662/Bin-Lade-Mole-helped-compile-book-Navy-Seals-used-Pakistan-raid.html |newspaper=[[Daily Mail]] |date=May 22, 2011 |accessdate=May 25, 2011 |location=London}}</ref>

<ref name="abuhamza">{{cite news |url=http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2011/05/us-asks-pakistan-for-access-to-osama%E2%80%99s-family/ |title=US asks Pakistan for access to Osama's family |author=Shaiq Hussain |newspaper=[[Pakistan Today]] |date=May 9, 2011 |accessdate=May 22, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="goodneighbours">{{cite news|author=Peter Oborne |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/al-qaeda/8490859/Osama-bin-Laden-dead-the-mysterious-Khan-family-who-were-good-neighbours.html |title=Osama bin Laden dead: the mysterious Khan family who were 'good neighbours' |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=May 3, 2011 |accessdate=May 22, 2011 |location=London}}</ref>

<ref name="secretlife">{{cite news |author=Elisabeth Bumiller |author2=Carlotta Gall |author3=Salman Masood |title=Bin Laden's Secret Life in a Diminished World |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/08/world/asia/08binladen.html?pagewanted=1 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=May 7, 2011 |accessdate=May 25, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="demandsreturn">{{cite news |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/170755/operation-against-osama-yemeni-family-of-bin-laden-widow-demands-her-return/ |title=Yemeni family of Bin Laden widow demands her return | newspaper=[[The Express Tribune]] |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]] |date=May 19, 2011 |accessdate=May 22, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="saudirefuses">{{cite news |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/171786/saudi-arabia-refuses-to-accept-osamas-family/ |title=Saudi Arabia refuses to accept Osama's family | newspaper=[[The Express Tribune]] |date=May 19, 2011 |accessdate=May 22, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="daughterinfo">{{cite web |author=Umer Farooq |url=http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=1&id=25294 |title=Bin Laden daughter providing valuable information- Pakistani official |work=[[Asharq Al-Awsat]] |date=May 24, 2011 |accessdate=May 25, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="plainsight">{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/8500399/Osama-bin-Laden-killed-Hidden-in-plain-sight.html |title=Osama bin Laden killed: Hidden in plain sight |author=Dean Nelson |author2=Rob Crilly |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=May 8, 2011 |accessdate=May 25, 2011 |location=London}}</ref>

<ref name="leakedout">{{cite news | url = http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/how-the-osama-announcement-leaked-out/ | title = How the bin Laden Announcement Leaked Out | first = Brian | last = Stelter | authorlink = Brian Stelter | newspaper = [[The New York Times]] | date = May 1, 2011 | accessdate =May 29, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="indiahunt">{{cite news|last=Phadnis |first=Aditi |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/162161/taking-a-lesson-from-the-us-raid-can-india-hunt-down-terrorists-in-pakistan |title=After Bin Laden: 'Can India hunt down terrorists in Pakistan?' |newspaper=[[The Express Tribune]] |date=May 3, 2011 |accessdate=May 11, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="WSJlegal">{{cite news|last=Searcey |first=Dionne |title=Killing Was Legal Under U.S. and International Law, Many Experts Say |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |agency=[[Morning Star (UK newspaper)|Morningstar]] |date= May 6, 2011 |accessdate=May 18, 2011|url=http://www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/markets/newsfeeditem.aspx?id=138501958327804}}</ref>

<ref name="ABC_13538365">{{cite news|author=Ariane de Vogue |url=http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/osama-bin-laden-killing-legal-international-law/story?id=13538365 |title= Was Killing of Osama bin Laden Legal Under International Law? |publisher=ABC News |date= May 6, 2011 |accessdate=May 6, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="killingslegality">{{cite news | url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/03/osama-bin-laden-killing-legality | work=The Guardian | author=Owen Bowcott | title=Osama bin Laden: U.S. responds to questions about killing's legality | date=May 3, 2011 | accessdate =May 5, 2011 | location=London}}</ref>

<ref name="pmspeech">{{Cite news |title=Pakistan PM's speech on Osama bin Laden situation |url=http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/142929/20110509/pakistan-pm-gilani-speech-osama-bin-laden.htm |newspaper=[[International Business Times]] |author=Yousaf Raza Gilani |date=May 9, 2011 |accessdate=June 16, 2011 }}</ref>

<ref name="secretagreement">{{Cite news |title=Osama bin Laden mission agreed in secret 10 years ago by U.S. and Pakistan |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/09/osama-bin-laden-us-pakistan-deal |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |author=Declan Walsh |date=May 9, 2011 |accessdate=June 16, 2011 |location=London}}</ref>

<ref name="holdersenate">{{cite web |url=http://www.micevhill.com/attachments/immigration_documents/hosted_documents/112th_congress/TranscriptOfSenateJudiciaryCommitteeHearingOnJusticeDepartmentOversight.pdf |title=Transcript of Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on Justice Department Oversight |publisher=[[United States Government Printing Office]] |author=Eric Holder et al. |date=May 4, 2011 |accessdate=June 16, 2011 }}</ref>

<ref name="reuters-legality">{{cite news|last=Longstreth |first=Andrew |url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/05/us-binladen-usa-legal-idUSTRE7442NA20110505 |title=Analysis: Legal questions remain over bin Laden killing |publisher=Reuters |date=February 9, 2009 |accessdate=May 5, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="expertsdivided">{{cite web |url=http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/142448/20110507/osama-bin-laden-killing-legal-violate-international-law-experts-lawyers-divided.htm |title=Is Osama bin Laden killing legal? International Law experts divided |work=[[International Business Times]] |date=May 7, 2011 |accessdate=June 16, 2011 }}</ref>

<ref name="bankimoon">{{cite news |title=UN Security Council, Ban Ki-moon Welcome Bin Laden's Death |url=http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-02/un-security-council-ban-ki-moon-welcome-bin-laden-s-death.html |work=[[Bloomberg L.P.]] |date=May 2, 2011 |accessdate=June 16, 2011 |first=Bill |last=Varner}}</ref>

<ref name="twoexperts">{{cite web |url=http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=38293 |title=Independent UN human rights experts seek facts on Bin Laden killing |work=UN News Centre |date=May 6, 2011 |accessdate=June 16, 2011 }}</ref>

<ref name="cnnpictures">{{cite news|url=http://whitehouse.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05/03/even-more-on-the-photos/|title=Even more details on the OBL photos|date=May 3, 2011|publisher=CNN|coauthors=Stacia Deshishku & Jessica Yellin}}</ref>

<ref name="photographicproof">{{cite news |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]] |title=The CIA has shown U.S. politicians photographic proof of the death of al-Qai'da founder Osama bin Laden |url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/the-cia-has-shown-us-politicians-photographic-proof-of-the-death-of-al-qaida-founder-osama-bin-laden/story-fn8ljzlv-1226054642690 |newspaper=[[The Australian]] |date=May 12, 2011 |accessdate=June 6, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="abcnophotos">{{cite news|url=http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2011/05/concerned-about-potential-backlash-president-obama-wont-release-photo-of-bin-laden-corpse.html|title=Concerned About Potential Backlash, President Obama Won't Release Photo of Bin Laden Corpse|author=Jake Tapper|accessdate=May 13, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="foia">{{cite news|url=http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202493006424&slreturn=1&hbxlogin=1|title=Experts predict difficulties for news orgs' FOIA requests to release bin Laden photos}}</ref>

<ref name=scrutiny>{{cite news |title=Pakistan says had no knowledge of U.S. bin Laden raid |author=Chris Allbritton |author2=Augustine Anthony |url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/03/us-binladen-pakistan-statement-idUSTRE74242R20110503 |newspaper=[[Reuters]] |date=May 3, 2011 |accessdate=May 7, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="failuretodiscover">{{cite news |author=Karin Brulliard |author2=Karen DeYoung |url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/pakistan-stresses-that-raid-was-a-us-mission/2011/05/02/AFd0eeXF_story.html |title = Pakistan's critics ask how bin Laden's refuge went unnoticed |date = May 2, 2011 |newspaper = [[The Washington Post]] |accessdate =May 2, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="Abbottabad2003">{{cite news |title=Key al Qaeda operative lived in Abbottabad in 2003 |author=Saba Imtiaz |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/161650/key-al-qaeda-operative-lived-in-abbottabad-in-2003/ |newspaper=[[The Express Tribune]] |date=May 2, 2011 |accessdate=May 13, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="AbbottabadScrutiny">{{cite news |title=Pakistan Town Had Long Drawn Scrutiny |author=Matthew Rosenberg |author2=Tom Wright |url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704322804576303240472777006.html |newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=May 4, 2011 |accessdate=May 13, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="mistrust">{{cite news |title=Special report: Why the U.S. mistrusts Pakistan's spies |author=Chris Allbritton |author2=Mark Hosenball |url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/05/us-binladen-pakistan-isi-idUSTRE74408220110505?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews |newspaper=[[Reuters]] |date=May 5, 2011 |accessdate=May 13, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="Frenchmen">{{cite news |title=AP Exclusive: 2 French men arrested in Pakistan |author=Jamey Keaten |author2=Asif Shahzad |url=http://articles.boston.com/2011-04-14/news/29418146_1_qaida-al-qaida-pakistani-official |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=April 15, 2011 |accessdate=May 13, 2011}}{{dead link|date=July 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="time20110503">{{cite news|url=http://swampland.time.com/2011/05/03/cia-chief-breaks-silence-u-s-ruled-out-involving-pakistan-in-bin-laden-raid-early-on/|title=CIA Chief Breaks Silence: Pakistan Would Have Jeopardized bin Laden Raid, 'Impressive' Intel Captured|last=Calabresi|first=Massimo|date=May 3, 2011|work=TIME|accessdate=May 3, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="kroft">{{cite news | url = http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504803_162-20060530-10391709.html | title = Obama on bin Laden: The full '60 Minutes' interview | author=Steve Kroft | publisher = [[CBS News]] | date= May 4, 2011 | accessdate =June 8, 2011 }}</ref>

<ref name="guthrie">{{cite news | url = http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036789/vp/42876688#42876688 | title = Behind code words 'Geronimo' and 'Jackpot' | author = Savannah Guthrie | publisher = [[MSNBC]] | date= May 3, 2011 | accessdate =June 8, 2011 }}</ref>

<ref name="targetchapter6">{{cite news | url = http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/target-bin-laden-death-life-osama-bin-laden/story?id=13786598&singlePage=true | title = Chapter Six: The President Takes Aim | author = Jake Tapper | publisher = ABC News | date= June 9, 2011 | accessdate =June 13, 2011 }}</ref>

<ref name="apache">{{cite web | url = http://www.fortsillapache-nsn.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=61%3Aletter-to-president-about-geronimo&catid=7%3Atribal-news&Itemid=13 | title = Letter to President about Geronimo | author = Jeff Houser | publisher = [[Fort Sill Apache Tribe]] | date= May 3, 2011 | accessdate =June 8, 2011 }}{{dead link|date=December 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="Montoya">{{cite news|url=http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9031832 |title=Some Native Americans angry over use of Geronimo's name in bin Laden operation|author=Susan Montoya Bryan|agency=[[Associated Press]]|publisher=[[Kingsport Times-News]] |date=May 4, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="nativeamericans">{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/05/05/bin.laden.geronimo/index.html|title=Native Americans object to linking Geronimo to bin Laden|publisher=CNN | date=May 6, 2011 |accessdate=June 9, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="stoplying">{{cite news|last=Sargent |first=Greg |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/john-mccain-to-bush-apologists-stop-lying-about-bin-laden-and-torture/2011/03/03/AF10AnzG_blog.html |title=John McCain to Bush apologists: Stop lying about Bin Laden and torture – The Plum Line |work=[[The Washington Post]] |date=May 12, 2011 |accessdate=May 13, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="WashPostMcCain">{{cite news|last=McCain |first=John |url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/bin-ladens-death-and-the-debate-over-torture/2011/05/11/AFd1mdsG_story.html |title= Bin Laden's death and the debate over torture |work=[[The Washington Post]] |date=May 11, 2011 |accessdate=May 15, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="informantstreatment">{{cite news|author= Mark Hosenball |author2= Brian Grow |url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/14/us-binladen-ghul-idUSTRE74D0EJ20110514 |title=Bin Laden informant's treatment key to torture debate |work=[[Reuters]] |date=May 14, 2011 |accessdate=May 15, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="cialetterwapo">{{cite news|last=Sargent|first=Greg|title=Exclusive: Private letter from CIA chief undercuts claim torture was key to killing Bin Laden|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/exclusive-private-letter-from-cia-chief-undercuts-claim-torture-was-key-to-killing-bin-laden/2011/03/03/AFLFF04G_blog.html|accessdate=May 20, 2011|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=May 16, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="cbsphonenos">{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/05/04/eveningnews/main20059850.shtml|title=Bin Laden phone numbers help spin intel web|publisher=[[CBS News]]|date=May 4, 2011|author=Bob Orr}}</ref>

<ref name="globalDOD">{{cite web|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/security/library/news/2011/05/sec-110507-dod01.htm|title=Background Briefing with Senior Intelligence Official at the Pentagon on Intelligence Aspects of the U.S. Operation Involving Osama Bin Laden|date=May 7, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="haripur">{{cite news |title=Osama lived in Haripur before moving to Abbottabad |author=Ismail Khan |url=http://www.dawn.com/2011/05/07/osama-lived-in-haripur-before-moving-to-abbottabad-wife.html |newspaper=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]] |date=May 7, 2011 |accessdate=May 11, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="helostealth">{{cite web |author=Bill Sweetman |coauthors=Amy Butler |url=http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=awst&id=news/awst/2011/05/09/AW_05_09_2011_p22-318890.xml&headline=null&prev=10|title=Bin Laden Raid Crash Helo Reveals Stealth |work=[[Aviation Week]] |date=May 6, 2011 |accessdate=June 5, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="myneighbor">{{cite web |author=Ron Moreau |url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-05-02/osama-bin-laden-was-my-neighbor-in-abbottabad/ |title=Osama bin Laden Was My Neighbor in Abbottabad |work=[[The Daily Beast]] |date=May 2, 2011 |accessdate=June 5, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="littlenotice">{{cite news |author=Salman Masood |title=Big Compound Stood Out, but Not Its Occupants, Neighbors Say |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/03/world/asia/03compound.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=May 2, 2011 |accessdate=June 6, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="notnew">{{cite web |author=Mark Huber |url=http://www.ainonline.com/news/single-news-page/article/bin-laden-raid-copters-effective-but-not-new-29850/ |title=Bin Laden Raid Copters Effective, But Not New |work=Aviation International News |date=May 29, 2011 |accessdate=June 5, 2011}}{{dead link|date=December 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="kerry">{{cite news |author=Karin Brulliard |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/sen-john-kerry-arrives-in-pakistan-for-meetings-that-could-sway-future-us-aid-prospects/2011/05/16/AFJJIZ4G_story.html |title=Pakistan to return U.S. helicopter tail, Kerry says |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=May 15, 2011 |accessdate=June 5, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="armsrace">{{cite web |author=Greg Lindsay |url=http://www.fastcompany.com/1753355/how-a-stealth-black-hawk-down-may-trigger-asias-21st-century-arms-race/ |title=The Bin Laden Raid Could Transform Asia's 21st Century Arms Race |work=[[Fast Company (magazine)|Fast Company]] |date=May 23, 2011 |accessdate=June 5, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="loomingtower">{{cite book |title=The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 |pages=192–193 |author=Lawrence Wright |authorlink=Lawrence Wright |isbn=978-0375414862 |year=2006 |publisher=Knopf}}</ref>

<ref name="NY Times Magazine">"[http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/11/magazine/11TORABORA.html Lost at Tora Bora]", ''[[The New York Times Magazine]]'', September 11, 2005.</ref>

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<ref name="ref-86">{{cite news | url = http://billionaires.forbes.com/article/02T93vJ2aferu?q=Pakistan | title = Clinton: Pakistan helped lead U.S. to bin Laden | date = May 2, 2011 | agency = Associated Press | work = Forbes | accessdate =May 2, 2011 }}</ref>

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<ref name="ref-120">{{cite news | url = http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05/02/my-take-burial-at-sea-shows-compassion-of-islamic-law/ | title = My Take: Burial at sea shows compassion of Islamic law | author = Latif, Khalid | authorlink = Khalid Latif (imam) | date = May 2, 2011 | publisher = CNN | accessdate =May 3, 2011 }}</ref>

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<ref name="Guard20110502">{{cite news | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/02/osama-bin-laden-pakistan-awkward-questions | title = Osama bin Laden: Dead, but how did he hide so long? | date = May 2, 2011 | work = The Guardian | accessdate =May 2, 2011 | first1 = Ewen | last1 = MacAskill | first2 = Declan | last2 = Walsh | location=London}}</ref>

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<ref name="ref-108">{{cite news | url = http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-bin-laden-raid-20110503,0,7245803.story | title = How Bin Laden met his end | work = [[Los Angeles Times]] | first1 = Bob | last1 = Drogin | first2 = Christi | last2 = Parsons | first3 = Ken | last3 = Dilanian | date = May 3, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="wsj20110503">{{cite news | url = http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704569404576299003523779890.html | title = Pakistan's bin Laden Connection Is Probed | last = Solomon | first = Jay | coauthors = Laura Meckler, Tom Wright, Zahid Hussain | date = May 2, 2011 | work = [[The Wall Street Journal]] | accessdate =May 3, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="Walsh">{{cite news | url = http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/05/02/bin.laden.pakistan.role/ | title = Official: Pakistan had but didn't probe data that helped make raid | last = Walsh | first = Nick Paton | date = May 2, 2011 | publisher = CNN | accessdate =May 2, 2011 | location=Islamabad, Pakistan}}</ref>

<ref name="ref-118">{{cite news | url = http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2011/05/20115223517616602.html | title = Obama says world safer without Bin Laden | publisher = Al Jazeera | date = May 3, 2011 | accessdate =May 3, 2011}}</ref>

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<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite news | url = http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/05/02/bin.laden.raid/index.html | title = How U.S. forces killed Osama bin Laden | date = May 3, 2011 | publisher = CNN}}</ref>

<ref name="cbs">"[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2001/09/16/national/main311490.shtml Report: Clinton Targeted Bin Laden]", [[CBS News]], September 16, 2001.</ref>

<ref name="ref-128">Riedel, Bruce. "The Search for al-Qaeda", 2008</ref>

<ref name="ref-117">{{cite web | author = Agile Telecom Ltd. and Xidemia | url = http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,139904.html | title = Local Muslims question sea-burial, By AZARD ALI, Trinidad and Tobago Newsday, Tuesday, May&nbsp;3, 2011 | publisher = Newsday.co.tt | date = May 3, 2011 | accessdate =May 3, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="ref-114">{{cite news | url = http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2011-05-02-osama-bin-laden-dna_n.htm | title = AP source: DNA IDs bin Laden, wife named him in raid | work = USA Today | date = May 2, 2011 | author = Robert Burns | agency = Associated Press }}</ref>

<ref name="APGoldman">Adam Goldman and Chris Brummitt, "[http://www.webcitation.org/5zyyqw23O Bin Laden's demise: Long pursuit, burst of gunfire]" (May 2, 2011). Associated Press.</ref>

<ref name="BBC_Intel_Failure">{{cite news | url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13268517 | publisher = BBC News | date = May 3, 2011 | accessdate =May 3, 2011 | title = Pakistan admits Bin Laden intelligence failure}}</ref>

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<ref name="ref-57">{{cite web | title = Bin Laden Announcement Twitter Traffic Spikes Higher Than The Super Bowl | url = http://techcrunch.com/2011/05/02/bin-laden-announcement-twitter-traffic-spikes-higher-than-the-super-bowl | work = [[Techcrunch]] | date = May 2, 2011 | accessdate =May 2, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="ref-14">{{cite news | url = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/8488004/Osama-Bin-Ladens-body-identified-by-sisters-brain.html | title = Osama Bin Laden's body 'identified by sister's brain' | work = The Daily Telegraph | location=UK | date = May 2, 2011 | accessdate =May 2, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="ref-13">{{cite news | url = http://specials.forbes.com/article/046c2vI4Sy2R4 | title = AP sources: DNA testing confirms bin Laden death | work = Forbes | date = May 2, 2011 | accessdate =May 2, 2011 | deadurl=yes}} {{Dead link|date=December 2011|bot=RjwilmsiBot}}</ref>

<ref name="dawn20110502">{{cite news | url = http://www.dawn.com/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-killed-in-pakistan-says-obama.html | title = Osama bin Laden killed in Pakistan, says Obama | date = May 2, 2011 | work = [[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]] | accessdate =May 2, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="ref-47">{{cite news | last2 = Bumiller | first2 = Elisabeth | authorlink = Elisabeth Bumiller | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/03/world/asia/03burial.html | title = Islamic Scholars Split Over Sea Burial for Bin Laden | first1 = John | last1 = Leland | work = The New York Times | date = May 2, 2011 | accessdate =May 3, 2011 }}</ref>

<ref name="ref-46">[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-sea-burial-muslim-scholars_n_856315.html "Osama Bin Laden Dead: Muslim Scholars Call Al Qaeda Leader's Sea Burial 'Humiliating". Hamza Hendawi. [[The Huffington Post]]. May 2, 2011]</ref>

<ref name="LAT20110502">{{cite news | url = http://articles.latimes.com/2011/may/02/world/la-fg-bin-laden-pakistan-20110502 | title = Suspicions grow over whether Pakistan aided Osama bin Laden | last = Rodriguez | first = Alex | date = May 2, 2011 | work = Los Angeles Times | accessdate =May 2, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="guardian01">{{cite news | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/02/bin-laden-body-buried-sea | title = Bin Laden's body buried at sea | work = The Guardian | date = May 2, 2011 | accessdate =May 2, 2011 | author = Whitaker, Brian | location=London}}</ref>

<ref name="MazzettiCooper">{{cite news | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/02/world/asia/02reconstruct-capture-osama-bin-laden.html | title = Detective Work on Courier Led to Breakthrough on Bin Laden | last = Mazzetti | first = Mark | coauthors = Cooper, Helene | newspaper = [[The New York Times]] | accessdate =May 2, 2011 | date = May 2, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="ref-56">{{cite news | author = Salazar, Evan | url = http://www.stltoday.com/news/national/govt-and-politics/article_082c839a-747f-11e0-a66e-0019bb30f31a.html | title = Crowds gather in NYC, DC after bin Laden killed | agency = [[Associated Press]] | work = [[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]] | date = May 2, 2011 | accessdate =November 6, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="ref-59">{{cite news | url = http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5h0B4t5TOkA9TulK0IK4JYjRG8UqA?docId=CNG.f6de33d85ff1350769dec913bc2a4047.01 | title = Death of Bin Laden: Live report | publisher = Google News | agency = AFP | accessdate =May 2, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="ref-60">{{cite news | author = Nidal al-Mughrabi | url = http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/02/us-binladen-palestinians-idUSTRE7414SS20110502 | title = Abbas government welcomes bin Laden death, Hamas deplores | agency = [[Reuters]] | date = April 26, 2011 | accessdate =May 2, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="ref-5">{{cite news | title = Osama Bin Laden, al-Qaeda leader, dead – Barack Obama | date = May 2, 2011 | url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13256676 | publisher = BBC News | accessdate =May 2, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="ind20110502">{{cite news | url = http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/mp-shocked-at-bin-laden-pakistan-discovery-2277941.html | title = MP 'shocked' at bin Laden Pakistan discovery | last = Woodcock | first = Andrew | date = May 2, 2011 | work = The Independent | location=UK | accessdate =May 2, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="ref-16">[http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/02/us-binladen-un-idUSTRE7414W720110502 UN chief Ban hails bin Laden death as "watershed"], Reuters May 2, 2011</ref>

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<ref name="ref-62">{{cite news | url = http://www.indianexpress.com/news/did-pakistan-army-shelter-osama/784511/0 | title = Did Pakistan Army shelter Osama? | work = The Indian Express | date = May 2, 2011 | accessdate =May 2, 2011 }}</ref>

<ref name="ref-24">{{cite news | title = Attack on Bin Laden Used Stealthy Helicopter That Had Been a Secret | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/06/world/asia/06helicopter.html | work=The New York Times | first=Christopher | last=Drew | date=May 5, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="Dedman">{{cite news | url = http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42853221/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/ | title = How the U.S. tracked couriers to elaborate bin Laden compound | last = Dedman | first = Bill | publisher = msnbc.com | accessdate =May 2, 2011 | archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5yNO6iaxq | archivedate=May 2, 2011}}</ref>

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<ref name="ref-58">{{cite web | url = http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/news/story?id=6463361 | title = Phillies crowd erupts in 'U-S-A' cheers | date = May 2, 2011 | accessdate =May 2, 2011 | first = Adam | last = Rubin | work = ESPNNewYork.com}}</ref>

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<ref name="DT20110502">{{cite news | url = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/8488236/WikiLeaks-Osama-bin-Laden-protected-by-Pakistani-security.html | title = WikiLeaks: Osama bin Laden 'protected' by Pakistani security | last = Ross | first =Tim | date = May 2, 2011 | work = The Daily Telegraph | location=UK | accessdate =May 2, 2011}}</ref>

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<ref name="miamifaraj">{{cite news | url = http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/05/02/2197802/tip-that-led-to-bin-laden-may.html | title = Tip to bin Laden may have come from Guantánamo | work = [[The Miami Herald]] | date = May 2, 2011 | accessdate =May 3, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="wikileaksfaraj">{{cite web | url = http://wikileaks.ch/gitmo/pdf/ly/us9ly-010017dp.pdf | title = JTF-GTMO Detainee Assessment | publisher = [[Wikileaks]] | date = September 10, 2008 | accessdate =May 3, 2011}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|wikt=no|commons=Death of Osama bin Laden|b=no|n=no|q=no|s=Remarks by the President on Osama bin Laden|v=no|species=no}}
*[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-13257972 Death of Bin Laden] collected news and commentary at ''[[BBC News]]''
*{{NYTtopic|timestopics/people/b/osama_bin_laden|Osama bin Laden}}
* Phillips, Macon. "[http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-dead Osama Bin Laden Dead]." [[The White House]] Blog. May 2, 2011.
* "[http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/photogallery/may-1-2011 Photo Gallery May 1, 2011]." [[The White House]]
* [http://shadowspear.com/special-operations/93475-operation-neptune-spear-bin-laden.html "Operation Neptune Spear (2011)"]. ShadowSpear. May 2, 2011.
* Garamone, Jim. "[http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=63765 Obama Declares 'Justice Has Been Done']." [[American Forces Press Service]], [[U.S. Department of Defense]].
* Garamone, Jim. "[http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=63771 Intelligence, Operations Team Up for bin Laden Kill]." American Forces Press Service, [[U.S. Department of Defense]].
* "[http://www.embassyofpakistanusa.org/news482_05022011.php Office of the Spokesperson Press Release Death of Osama bin Ladin]." Embassy of Pakistan in Washington. May 2, 2011.
* "[http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2011/may/binladen_050211/binladen_050211 Most Wanted Terrorist Dead]." [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]]. May 2, 2011.
* "[https://www.cia.gov/news-information/press-releases-statements/press-release-2011/justice-done.html Message from the Director: Justice Done]." ([http://www.webcitation.org/5yOwBdQag Archive]). [[Central Intelligence Agency]]. May 2, 2011.
* "[http://www.911families.org/2011%2005%2002%20SFA%20Tribute%20Center%20Press%20Release%20%283%29.pdf Statement from September 11 Families' Association Tribute WTC Visitor Center]{{dead link|date=December 2011}}." September 11 Families Association. May 2, 2011.
* [http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/05/osama_bin_laden_killed.html "Osama bin Laden killed"]. The Big Picture. ''[[The Boston Globe]]''. May 2, 2011.
* China.org.cn "[http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/2011-05/03/content_22486398.htm The Strange Death of Osama Bin Laden]." Chinese English-language website opinion column. May 3, 2011.
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{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME = Death of Osama bin Laden
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
| DATE OF BIRTH = March 10, 1957
| PLACE OF BIRTH = Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| DATE OF DEATH = May 2, 2011
| PLACE OF DEATH = Abbottabad, Pakistan
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Death Of Osama Bin Laden}}
[[Category:2011 in military history]]
[[Category:2011 in Pakistan]]
[[Category:Abbottabad District]]
[[Category:Central Intelligence Agency operations]]
[[Category:Death of Osama bin Laden| ]]
[[Category:Deaths by firearm in Pakistan|Laden, Osama bin]]
[[Category:Deaths by person|Laden, Osama bin]]
[[Category:Military raids]]
[[Category:Obama Administration initiatives]]
[[Category:Operations involving American special forces]]
[[Category:Osama bin Laden]]
[[Category:Pakistani commissions and inquiries]]
[[Category:Pakistan–United States relations]]
[[Category:United States Naval Special Warfare Command]]
[[Category:War on Terror]]

[[ar:مقتل أسامة بن لادن]]
[[ca:Mort d'Ossama bin Laden]]
[[de:Operation Neptune’s Spear]]
[[el:Θάνατος του Οσάμα μπιν Λάντεν]]
[[es:Muerte de Osama bin Laden]]
[[fa:مرگ اسامه بن لادن]]
[[fr:Mort d'Oussama ben Laden]]
[[ko:제로니모 작전]]
[[id:Kematian Usamah bin Ladin]]
[[it:Morte di Osama bin Laden]]
[[he:מבצע חנית נפטון]]
[[hu:Oszáma bin Láden halála]]
[[ms:Kematian Osama bin Laden]]
[[nl:Dood van Osama bin Laden]]
[[ne:ओसामा बिन लादेन को अन्त्य]]
[[ja:ウサーマ・ビン・ラーディンの死]]
[[no:Osama bin Ladens død]]
[[pl:Śmierć Usamy ibn Ladina]]
[[pt:Morte de Osama bin Laden]]
[[ru:Смерть Усамы бин Ладена]]
[[sl:Operacija Neptunovo kopje]]
[[fi:Osama bin Ladenin kuolema]]
[[ta:நெப்டியூன் இசுப்பியர் நடவடிக்கை]]
[[tr:Usame bin Ladin'in ölümü]]
[[uk:Смерть Осами бен Ладена]]
[[vi:Cái chết của Osama bin Laden]]
[[zh:奥萨马·本·拉登之死]]