Killing of Osama bin Laden

On May 2, 2011, Osama bin Laden, the founder and first leader of the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda, was shot and killed at his compound in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad by United States Navy SEALs of SEAL Team Six (also known as DEVGRU). The operation, code-named Operation Neptune Spear, was carried out in a CIA-led mission, with the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) coordinating the Special Mission Units involved in the raid. In addition to SEAL Team Six, participating units under JSOC included the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), also known as the "Night Stalkers," and the CIA's Special Activities Division, which heavily recruits from former JSOC Special Mission Units. The success of the operation ended a nearly decade-long manhunt for bin Laden, who was accused of masterminding the September 11 attacks on the United States.

The raid, approved by U.S. President Barack Obama and involving two dozen Navy SEALs in two Black Hawk helicopters, was launched from about 120 miles (190 km) away in Afghanistan, where U.S. forces were stationed. The raid took 40 minutes, and bin Laden was killed shortly before 1:00 a.m. PKT (20:00 UTC, May 1). Three other men, including one of bin Laden's sons, and a woman in the compound were also killed. After the raid, U.S. forces returned to Afghanistan with bin Laden's body for identification and then flew over 850 miles (1,370 km) to the Arabian Sea, where he was buried in accordance with Islamic tradition.

Al-Qaeda confirmed bin Laden's death on May 6 through posts made on militant websites and vowed to avenge his killing. Other Pakistani militant groups, including the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, also vowed retaliation against the U.S.; and against Pakistan, for not preventing the operation. The raid was supported by over 90 percent of the American public, was welcomed by the United Nations, NATO, the European Union, and a large number of governments, but was condemned by others, including two-thirds of the Pakistani public. Legal and ethical aspects of the killing, such as the failure to capture him alive despite him being unarmed, were questioned by organizations like Amnesty International. Also controversial was the decision not to publish any photographic or DNA evidence of bin Laden's death. There was also controversy in Pakistan regarding how the country's defenses were breached, and how the Air Force failed to detect the American aircraft.

After the killing, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani formed a commission led by Senior Justice Javed Iqbal to investigate the circumstances of the attack. The resulting Abbottabad Commission Report revealed the "collective failure" of Pakistani state military and intelligence authorities that enabled bin Laden to hide in Pakistan for nine years and was leaked to Al Jazeera on July 8, 2013.