What if bin laden was captured

Curious about what he had been thinking at the precise moment that photographer Pete Souza clicked the shutter, Mullen later asked whether the photo had a timestamp. Like Clinton, he wanted to avoid the impression that Obama was micromanaging the raid and suggested that the president not communicate directly with McRaven in Jalalabad. At the time this picture was taken, he was largely unknown outside the Beltway and the Washington community. The only other woman in the room and the youngest member by far of this lofty group of policymakers, Tomason became well-known as a result of the photo.

But the woman herself—and her thoughts—remain a mystery, probably because of the clandestine nature of her work for the National Security Council. Together with Donilon, Brennan had been tasked with trying to conceive what the Abbottabad raid would look like. In spite of his support for a mission that was in part his brainchild, his knuckles were white throughout the entire attack. Gunfire was exchanged as SEALs made their way through the compound, up to the second and third floors, where bin Laden and his family were hiding.

Four combatants and one woman used as a human shield were killed in the raid, according to Pentagon statements. With its successful completion, the operation ended the life of the man regarded as the mastermind behind the terror attacks of September 11, which claimed thousands of lives. Over the next few months, the CIA used informants, surveillance and other intelligence gathering measures to arrive at the conclusion that bin Laden and his family were hiding out in the compound — but up until the attack, there was no hard proof that bin Laden was present, only the best guess available.

President Obama discussed the decision to attack with 60 Minutes following the raid. Obama said he and his team were not surprised to find bin Laden hiding in plain sight, but were surprised to learn that the compound had been there for so long without information leaking out about it. Mike Mullen told a DoD reporter. Navy's Special Warfare insignia.

On the night of the infiltration, two dozen SEALs flew in using two helicopters, beneath the radar and varying routes to avoid detection.

There were also seven-foot walls surrounding the balconies. Additionally, the compound was designed to obscure lines of sight from multiple directions.

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Already subscribed? Attorney General Eric Holder defended the action as lawful Tuesday, but some in Europe said bin Laden should have been captured and put on trial. Gert-Jan Knoops, a Dutch-based international law specialist, said bin Laden should have been arrested and extradited to the United States.

He drew parallels with the arrest of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic, who was put on trial at the war crimes tribunal in The Hague after his arrest in We want to know exactly what happened People can obviously answer that question.