Operation Neptune Spear: The Hunt for Bin Laden
About this episode
This episode discusses the details and significance of Operation Neptune Spear, the military operation that led to the death of Osama bin Laden.
# The Death of Osama bin Laden - May 1, 2011 On May 1, 2011, one of the most dramatic military operations in modern history reached its climax when U.S. Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The operation, code-named "Operation Neptune Spear," was the culmination of nearly a decade of intelligence gathering and relentless pursuit. Bin Laden had become the world's most wanted man after al-Qaeda carried out the 9/11 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people, forever changing global security and American foreign policy. The breakthrough came when CIA analysts tracked a trusted courier to a mysterious compound in Abbottabad, a city about 100 miles from the Pakistani capital of Islamabad. The compound was unusual—it had 12 to 18-foot walls topped with barbed wire, few windows facing outside, and residents who burned their trash rather than putting it out for collection. Intelligence agencies became increasingly convinced that a "high-value target" was hiding there. President Barack Obama, after months of deliberation and several tense meetings in the White House Situation Room, authorized the raid. On…
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