President Obama would like you to think he alone is responsible for the finding and ultimate killing Osama bin Laden. But we know the patriots on the front line who risked it all for a successful mission are the ones responsible. Today, the CIA is recapping the raid that took place five years ago by tweeting the timeline.
#OTD 2011: US military raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan killed Usama Bin Ladin.#UBLRaidhttps://t.co/rklCIS2W8d pic.twitter.com/o2Ym4vM7ri
— CIA (@CIA) May 1, 2016
Success of mission was culmination of years of complex, thorough & highly advanced intel ops & analyses led by CIA w support of IC.#UBLRaid
— CIA (@CIA) May 1, 2016
Late 2010, intel linked a courier to compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Compound & main house had security features unusual for area#UBLRaid
— CIA (@CIA) May 1, 2016
Features
High walls/barbed wire
Double entry gates
No internet/phone connection
Trash burned not collected#UBLRaid pic.twitter.com/KyPIFPxA4d— CIA (@CIA) May 1, 2016
Assault team trained on an exact life-size replica of compound w movable walls to prep for any internal layout they might encounter#UBLRaid
— CIA (@CIA) May 1, 2016
To mark the 5th anniversary of the Usama Bin Ladin operation in Abbottabad we will tweet the raid as if it were happening today.#UBLRaid
— CIA (@CIA) May 1, 2016
And here is the stream of events in real time:
1:25 pm EDT-@POTUS, DCIA Panetta, & JSOC commander Admiral McRaven approve execution of op in Abbottabad.#UBLRaid pic.twitter.com/YhvuJVrMVc
— CIA (@CIA) May 1, 2016
1:51 pm EDT – Helicopters depart from Afghanistan for compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan#UBLRaid
— CIA (@CIA) May 1, 2016
3:30 pm EDT – 2 helicopters descend on compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. 1 crashes, but assault continues without delay or injury#UBLRaid
— CIA (@CIA) May 1, 2016
3:39 pm EDT – Usama Bin Ladin found on third floor and killed#UBLRaid
— CIA (@CIA) May 1, 2016
4:05 pm EDT – First helicopter leaves the area to go back to Afghanistan#UBLRaid
— CIA (@CIA) May 1, 2016
4:08 pm EDT – Assault Team destroys crashed helicopter#UBLRaid
— CIA (@CIA) May 1, 2016
4:10 pm EDT — Backup helicopter picks up remaining team members & materials & leaves Abbottabad#UBLRaid
— CIA (@CIA) May 1, 2016
We’re sure Mr. Obama will use this moment to spike the political football, as he usually does. But we must not forget that those who executed the operation are the real heroes of the raid that took out the al Qaeda leader.
Note: This post has been updated.
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