The Killing of Osama Bin Laden: How the Mission to Hunt Down a Terrorist Mastermind was Accomplished
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Are there any young like-minded radicals out there willing to take Osama Bin Laden’s place as the leader of al-Qaeda’s jihad against the West? Truth is there are dozens, if not hundreds. There also has been much speculation that al-Qaeda may soon see the base of its operations move to Yemen where sympathies for their cause run deep. Only time will tell whether we have cut the head off of the snake or just one of the many heads of the hydra.
Still, there is also reason to believe that al-Qaeda is already running scared. Just three days after Bin Laden’s death was announced to the world, Khaled Hathal Abdullah al-Atifi, an al-Qaeda operative on many wanted lists, phoned authorities in Pakistan to surrender. Obviously, to al-Atifi, a jail cell was preferable than a bullet to the head.
So if the manhunt for Osama Bin Laden is any indication, all other terrorist enemies of America would best think twice lest they believe they can win this war. For what awaits them is not martyrdom or success, but more than likely, a gruesome death at the hands of U.S. soldiers.
On May 5th, just four days after speaking to the world on live television to announce the death of the man U.S. Military forces had hunted for almost a decade, President Barack Obama flew to New York City and paid a visit to Ground Zero. There he spoke with police officers and firefighters whose brothers were lost on 9/11 along with the 2,752 people killed in the World Trade Center. There at the site of the attacks, the Commander in Chief somberly laid a wreath patriotically created out of red, white and blue flowers. No grand speech was made. Heads were bowed in prayer and reflection.
“When we say we will never forget, we mean what we say,” declared the President.
Though his words held a double-edged meaning, this day was not in any way about the murderer who had been brought to justice, but about the murdered themselves. The American story has always been one of survival and struggle, from our colonial ancestors who founded this land to build a better tomorrow for their children to the men and women who fought to preserve freedom both here and overseas.
Mostly the American story is one of remembrance.
We will never forget those who were lost.
We can and will survive anything because no matter how hard our enemies may try, they can never kill the indomitable spirit that defines us.
OBAMA’S SPEECH ANNOUNCING THE DEATH OF OSAMA BIN LADEN
Anytime a President speaks, it’s a snapshot of history.
And only time will tell if that President’s words were true.
On May 1, 2011, at 11:35 p.m EDT, ironically, 66 years to the day after the announcement that Hitler was dead, President Barack Obama gave the following speech live from the East Room of the White House.
THE PRESIDENT: 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’s responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children.
It was nearly 10 years ago that a bright September day was darkened by the worst attack on the American people in our history. The images of 9/11 are seared into our national memory—hijacked planes cutting through a cloudless September sky; the Twin Towers collapsing to the ground; black smoke billowing up from the Pentagon; the wreckage of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the actions of heroic citizens saved even more heartbreak and destruction.
And yet we know that the worst images are those that were unseen to the world. The empty seat at the dinner table. Children who were forced to grow up without their mother or their father. Parents who would never know the feeling of their child’s embrace. Nearly 3,000 citizens taken from us, leaving a gaping hole in our hearts.
On September 11, 2001, in our time of grief, the American people came together. We offered our neighbors a hand, and we offered the wounded our blood. We reaffirmed our ties to each other, and our love of community and country. On that day, no matter where we came from, what God we prayed to, or what race or ethnicity we were, we were united as one American family.
We were also united in our resolve to protect our nation and to bring those who committed this vicious attack to justice. We quickly learned that the 9/11 attacks were carried out by al-Qaeda—an organization headed by Osama Bin Laden, which had openly declared war on the United States and was committed to killing innocents in our country and around the globe. And so we went to war against al-Qaeda to protect our citizens, our friends, and our allies.
Over the last 10 years, thanks to the tireless and heroic work of our military and our counterterrorism professionals, we’ve made great strides in that effort. We’ve disrupted terrorist attacks and strengthened our homeland defense. In Afghanistan, we removed the Taliban government, which had given Bin Laden and al-Qaeda safe haven and support. And around the globe, we worked with our friends and allies to capture or kill scores of al-Qaeda terrorists, including several who were a part of the 9/11 plot.
Yet Osama Bin Laden avoided capture and escaped across the Afghan border into Pakistan. Meanwhile, al-Qaeda continued to operate from along that border and operate through its affiliates across the world.
And so shortly after taking office, I directed Leon Panetta, the director of the CIA, to make the killing or capture of Bin Laden the top priority of our war against al-Qaeda, even as we continued our broader efforts to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat his network.
Then, last August, after years of painstaking work by our intelligence community, I was briefed on a possible lead to Bin Laden. It was far from certain, and it took many months to run this thread to ground. I met repeatedly with my national security team as we developed more information about the possibility that we had located Bin Laden hiding within a compound deep inside of Pakistan. And finally, last week, I determined that we had enough intelligence to take action, and authorized an operation to get Osama Bin Laden and bring him to justice.
Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties. After a firefight, they killed Osama Bin Laden and took custody of his body.
For over two decades, Bin Laden has been al-Qaeda’s leader and symbol, and has continued to plot attacks against our country and our friends and allies. The death of Bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation’s effort to defeat al-Qaeda.
Yet his death does not mark the end of our effort. There’s no doubt that al-Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us. We must—and we will—remain vigilant at home and abroad.
As we do, we must also reaffirm that the United States is not –and never will be– at war with Islam. I’ve made clear, just as President Bush did shortly after 9/11, that our war is not against Islam. Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader; he was a mass murderer of Muslims. Indeed, al-Qaeda has slaughtered scores of Muslims in many countries, including our own. So his demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity.
Over the years, I’ve repeatedly made clear that we would take action within Pakistan if we knew where Bin Laden was. That is what we’ve done. But it’s important to note that our counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan helped lead us to Bin Laden and the compound where he was hiding. Indeed, Bin Laden had declared war against Pakistan as well, and ordered attacks against the Pakistani people.
Tonight, I called President Zardari, and my team has also spoken with their Pakistani counterparts. They agree that this is a good and historic day for both of our nations. And going forward, it is essential that Pakistan continue to join us in the fight against al-Qaeda and its affiliates.
The American people did not choose this fight. It came to our shores, and started with the senseless slaughter of our citizens. After nearly 10 years of service, struggle, and sacrifice, we know well the costs of war. These efforts weigh on me every time I, as Com
mander-in-Chief, have to sign a letter to a family that has lost a loved one, or look into the eyes of a service member who’s been gravely wounded.
So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when our people have been killed. We will be relentless in defense of our citizens and our friends and allies. We will be true to the values that make us who we are. And on nights like this one, we can say to those families who have lost loved ones to al-Qaeda’s terror: Justice has been done.
Tonight, we give thanks to the countless intelligence and counterterrorism professionals who’ve worked tirelessly to achieve this outcome. The American people do not see their work, nor know their names. But tonight, they feel the satisfaction of their work and the result of their pursuit of justice.
We give thanks for the men who carried out this operation, for they exemplify the professionalism, patriotism, and unparalleled courage of those who serve our country. And they are part of a generation that has borne the heaviest share of the burden since that September day.
Finally, let me say to the families who lost loved ones on 9/11 that we have never forgotten your loss, nor wavered in our commitment to see that we do whatever it takes to prevent another attack on our shores.
And tonight, let us think back to the sense of unity that prevailed on 9/11. I know that it has, at times, frayed. Yet today’s achievement is a testament to the greatness of our country and the determination of the American people.
The cause of securing our country is not complete. But tonight, we are once again reminded that America can do whatever we set our mind to. That is the story of our history, whether it’s the pursuit of prosperity for our people, or the struggle for equality for all our citizens; our commitment to stand up for our values abroad, and our sacrifices to make the world a safer place.
Let us remember that we can do these things not just because of wealth or power, but because of who we are: one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Thank you. May God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.
*****
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This book goes out to the brave men and women of the U.S. Military. Your valor and courage make me proud to be an American. Please get home safely.
To American Presidents both present and past, I thank you for suffering through suffocating criticism over your foreign policies. Nobody with half a mind doubts your desire to keep America safe from its enemies. Yours is a job only an insane person would want and I very much appreciate all the things that happen in the Oval Office that are far, far beyond my grasp of understanding.
And to you, Osama Bin Laden…please enjoy an eternity of having your temperature taken with a pitchfork.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff made a living writing music for television before opportunity knocked and transformed him into a screen/TV writer and later an award-winning and bestselling author featured on “Access Hollywood.” A podcast he recorded in his car turned into a drive-time radio show on Sirius five nights a week. This led to a handsome feature in Playboy Magazine that compared Mark to Howard Stern and Jon Stewart. Mark later created an internet video series that led to him being cast as the on-screen host of TV’s “The MoShow”, a nationally syndicated newsmagazine about smartphones and mobile entertainment.
Mark can be reached at: MYN@WordSushi.com
Twitter.com/MYN
If you enjoyed this book, please tell your friends.
-MYN
Table of Contents
Books by Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff
MAY 1, 2011
MANHUNT
ABBOTTABAD
CODE NAME: GERONIMO
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
OBAMA’S SPEECH ANNOUNCING THE DEATH OF OSAMA BIN LADEN
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR