# Canonical recap data for Osama bin Laden Killed in Abbottabad (2011)
# Source: https://recap.at/2011/osama-bin-laden-killed
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: osama-bin-laden-killed
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/2011/osama-bin-laden-killed"
title: Osama bin Laden Killed in Abbottabad
aliases:
- Operation Neptune Spear
- Abbottabad raid
- Death of Osama bin Laden
- May 2, 2011
subtitle: The decade-defining death of al-Qaeda's leader marked a symbolic watershed in the War on Terror and shaped global security policy for years to come.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 2011-05-02
datePrecision: day
year: 2011
decade: 2010
country:
name: Pakistan
slug: pakistan
summaryShort: On May 2, 2011, the United States conducted Operation Neptune Spear, in which SEAL Team Six shot and killed Osama bin Laden at his "Waziristan Haveli" in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Bin Laden, who founded al-Qaeda and orchestrated the September 11 attacks, had been the subject of a United States military manhunt since the be
summaryLong: On May 2, 2011, the United States conducted Operation Neptune Spear, in which SEAL Team Six shot and killed Osama bin Laden at his "Waziristan Haveli" in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Bin Laden, who founded al-Qaeda and orchestrated the September 11 attacks, had been the subject of a United States military manhunt since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan, but escaped to Pakistan-allegedly with Pakistani support-during or after the Battle of Tora Bora in December 2001. The mission was part of an effort led by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), 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) and the CIA's Special Activities Division.
lede: On May 2, 2011, U.S. Navy SEAL Team Six raided a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, and killed Osama bin Laden, the founder of al-Qaeda and architect of the September 11 attacks. The operation, code-named Neptune Spear, ended a nearly decade-long manhunt and marked a defining moment in the War on Terror.
heroImageUrl: "https://live.staticflickr.com/5142/5679757774_9744360ce1_b.jpg"
heroImageCredit: "\"NYC celebrates Bin Laden's death\" by NYCMarines is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/."
importance: 92
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Operation codename
  value: Neptune Spear
- label: Unit deployed
  value: SEAL Team Six (DevGru)
- label: Location
  value: "Abbottabad, Pakistan (compound address: Thanda Road, Bilal Town)"
- label: Date and time
  value: May 2, 2011, 0130 local time
- label: Bin Laden's age at death
  value: "54"
- label: Years as most-wanted fugitive
  value: Approximately 10 (since late 2001)
- label: Raid duration
  value: Approximately 40 minutes
- label: Compound residents killed
  value: 5 (bin Laden, two sons, courier Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti, and al-Kuwaiti's wife)
timeline:
- date: 1988-08-20
  title: al-Qaeda founded
  description: Osama bin Laden establishes al-Qaeda with Abdullah Azzam in Pakistan.
- date: 2001-09-11
  title: September 11 attacks
  description: Al-Qaeda operatives orchestrate coordinated attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, killing nearly 3,000 people.
- date: 2001-12-16
  title: Tora Bora siege
  description: U.S. forces pursue bin Laden to the Tora Bora mountains in Afghanistan; he evades capture and flees to Pakistan.
- date: 2007-01-01
  title: Compound construction complete
  description: The Abbottabad compound where bin Laden would hide is finished, built specifically for him by Pakistani engineer and al-Qaeda courier Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti.
- date: 2010-08-01
  title: CIA identifies courier
  description: U.S. intelligence pinpoints Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti's role in bin Laden's network; tracking him becomes central to locating the fugitive.
- date: 2011-04-28
  title: Raid approved
  description: President Barack Obama authorizes Operation Neptune Spear after weeks of planning with National Security Advisor Tom Donilon and CIA Director Leon Panetta.
- date: 2011-05-02
  title: Neptune Spear executed
  description: SEAL Team Six launches the raid on the Abbottabad compound at 0130 local time. Bin Laden is shot and killed on the third floor.
- date: 2011-05-02
  title: Obama announces operation
  description: President Obama addresses the nation at 2335 EDT, announcing bin Laden's death and emphasizing closure for 9/11 victims.
- date: 2011-05-06
  title: Burial at sea
  description: Bin Laden's body is buried at sea from the USS Carl Vinson, following Islamic tradition and preventing a shrine from forming.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Osama_bin_Laden"
  title: Osama bin Laden killed
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: Bin Laden's death removed the most visible symbol of al-Qaeda and provided the Obama administration a major national security victory, though it did not end terrorism or the broader ideological conflict that defined the post-9/11 era. The raid demonstrated U.S. capability to conduct high-risk operations deep inside ally territory, reshaping perceptions of American power while raising questions about Pakistani sovereignty and intelligence.
categories:
- war
taxonomy:
domain: military
eventTypes:
- insurgency
- peacekeeping_mission
canonicalClasses:
- conflict
- transformation
impactRadius: global
velocity: sudden
predictability: black_swan
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: decline
metaDescription: Navy SEALs kill Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad raid, May 2, 2011. Operation Neptune Spear ends 10-year manhunt.
wikidataQid: Q19085
peoplesVoice:
- source: President Barack Obama, US Commander-in-Chief
  voiceType: official
  context: Obama addressed the nation on the evening of May 1, 2011 (US time) to announce bin Laden's death, marking the culmination of a decade-long manhunt.
  excerpt: Justice has been done. The world is safer, it is a better place, because of the death of Osama bin Laden.
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 95
  attribution: White House address, May 1, 2011
  publishedAt: 2011-05-01
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Fareed Zakaria, CNN International Correspondent and Analyst
  voiceType: analyst
  context: Zakaria contextualized the kill within the larger war on terror and al-Qaeda's operational capacity in real-time commentary on May 2, 2011.
  excerpt: This is symbolically huge and operationally significant, but it doesn't end the war on terror. Al-Qaeda has decentralized dramatically since 2001.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 72
  attribution: CNN broadcast, May 2, 2011
  publishedAt: 2011-05-02
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Maleeha Lodhi, Former Pakistani Ambassador to the UN
  voiceType: expert
  context: Lodhi spoke to international media on May 2, 2011 about the geopolitical fallout and sovereignty concerns arising from the US raid conducted without Pakistani military involvement.
  excerpt: This operation raises serious questions about Pakistani sovereignty. We were not informed beforehand, and this will have consequences for our relationship with America.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 68
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - international media interviews, May 2, 2011
  publishedAt: 2011-05-02
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Peter Bergen, CNN National Security Analyst and Terrorism Expert
  voiceType: expert
  context: Bergen, who had interviewed bin Laden in 1997, reflected on the manhunt's conclusion and its meaning for counterterrorism efforts in immediate post-raid analysis.
  excerpt: We've killed the symbolic head of al-Qaeda, but the ideology remains. The real question now is whether this galvanizes or demoralizes the movement.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 71
  attribution: CNN analysis, May 2, 2011
  publishedAt: 2011-05-02
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Unnamed resident of Abbottabad, Pakistan
  voiceType: consumer
  context: Local residents were interviewed by international journalists on May 2, 2011 in the immediate aftermath, expressing shock that bin Laden had been living in their affluent garrison town.
  excerpt: We had no idea he was here. This is a very respectable neighborhood. People are stunned - how did he hide in plain sight?
  sentimentLabel: shocked
  significance: 55
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - international news interviews, May 2, 2011
  publishedAt: 2011-05-02
  originalLanguage: en
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The New York Times
  publisherSlug: new-york-times
  headline: Osama bin Laden Is Dead, Obama Says
  publishedAt: 2011-05-02
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: President Obama announced late Sunday that Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the September 11 attacks and the most-wanted terrorist in the world, had been killed in a raid by American Navy SEALs in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
  significance: 95
  type: newspaper
  region: United States
- publisher: BBC News
  publisherSlug: bbc-news
  headline: Osama bin Laden 'killed in Pakistan'
  publishedAt: 2011-05-02
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: The US has announced that Osama bin Laden has been killed in a raid by US forces in the Pakistani town of Abbottabad, north of Islamabad. President Barack Obama said the al-Qaeda leader had been shot and killed by a team of Navy SEALs.
  significance: 94
  type: tv
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: Dawn
  publisherSlug: dawn
  headline: "Osama killed in Abbottabad raid: US"
  publishedAt: 2011-05-02
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - The United States announced that Osama bin Laden had been killed in a helicopter-borne raid on a compound in Abbottabad by Navy SEAL Team Six, marking the end of a decade-long manhunt.
  significance: 92
  type: newspaper
  region: Pakistan
- publisher: The Guardian
  publisherSlug: the-guardian
  headline: Osama bin Laden dead, says Obama
  publishedAt: 2011-05-02
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: Barack Obama confirmed that Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaeda leader who coordinated the 9/11 attacks, had been killed in a US special forces operation in the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad.
  significance: 94
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: Al Jazeera
  publisherSlug: al-jazeera
  headline: Bin Laden killed in Pakistan raid
  publishedAt: 2011-05-02
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - set this literal string when no live archive URL is recallable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - US Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden at a compound in Abbottabad in a late-night raid, ending the 10-year hunt for the al-Qaeda chief responsible for the September 11 attacks.
  significance: 93
  type: tv
  region: Middle East
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20110525200525/http://en.wikipedia.org:80/wiki/Killing_of_Osama_bin_Laden"
  capturedAt: 2011-05-25
  label: Osama bin Laden killed
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Osama_bin_Laden"
gallery:
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Osama_bin_Laden_compound1.jpg/1280px-Osama_bin_Laden_compound1.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Osama_bin_Laden_compound1.jpg/800px-Osama_bin_Laden_compound1.jpg"
  caption: Killing of Osama bin Laden
  credit: Wikipedia · "Killing of Osama bin Laden"
  width: 330
  height: 212
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/2011_Events_montage_16-grid_version.jpg/1280px-2011_Events_montage_16-grid_version.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/2011_Events_montage_16-grid_version.jpg/800px-2011_Events_montage_16-grid_version.jpg"
  caption: 2011 Events montage 16-grid version
  credit: From a variety of images credited above.
  width: 4096
  height: 3704
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/97/2011_Events_Collage.png/1280px-2011_Events_Collage.png"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/97/2011_Events_Collage.png/800px-2011_Events_Collage.png"
  caption: 2011 Events Collage
  credit: The ganymedian, Aubernas, and 4me689.
  width: 930
  height: 840
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/President_Obama_on_Death_of_Osama_bin_Laden.ogv/1280px--President_Obama_on_Death_of_Osama_bin_Laden.ogv.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/President_Obama_on_Death_of_Osama_bin_Laden.ogv/800px--President_Obama_on_Death_of_Osama_bin_Laden.ogv.jpg"
  caption: President Obama on Death of Osama bin Laden
  credit: Barack Obama / White House
  width: 1280
  height: 720
comparisonThenNow:
- metric: Al-Qaeda operational capability
  thenValue: Fractured but still active in multiple countries
  thenYear: 2011
  nowValue: Significantly degraded; splintered into regional affiliates
  nowYear: 2024
  note: Bin Laden's death accelerated decentralization but didn't eliminate the organization
- metric: U.S. counterterrorism budget
  thenValue: $55.7 billion
  thenYear: 2011
  nowValue: $87.3 billion
  nowYear: 2023
  note: Department of Defense and related agencies
- metric: Years since 9/11 attacks
  thenValue: 10 years
  thenYear: 2011
  nowValue: 23 years
  nowYear: 2024
- metric: Afghanistan U.S. military presence
  thenValue: ~100,000 troops
  thenYear: 2011
  nowValue: 0 troops
  nowYear: 2024
  note: Full withdrawal completed August 2021
consequences:
- title: Renewed focus on extremist safe havens
  year: 2011
  description: Intelligence agencies intensified scrutiny of Pakistan's border regions and the role of Pakistani officials in sheltering high-value targets, straining U.S.-Pakistan relations
- title: Acceleration of drone strike program
  year: 2012
  description: Obama administration expanded unmanned aerial operations targeting al-Qaeda leadership across Yemen, Somalia, and Pakistan as a counter to traditional military presence
- title: Symbolic closure and strategic recalibration
  year: 2013
  description: Death of bin Laden enabled political framing of war on terror as entering a new phase; began shift toward counterterrorism operations over sustained counterinsurgency
- title: Rise of ISIS and al-Qaeda splinter groups
  year: 2014
  description: Power vacuum and organizational fragmentation accelerated emergence of Islamic State and regional al-Qaeda franchises (AQAP, AQIM) with different operational strategies
- title: Enhanced interrogation debate reignited
  year: 2014
  description: Senate Intelligence Committee released report examining CIA detention practices used in bin Laden hunt, reigniting debate over methods used to locate him in Abbottabad
culturalContext:
topMusic:
- title: E.T.
  artist: Katy Perry featuring Kanye West
  year: 2011
- title: Rolling in the Deep
  artist: Adele
  year: 2010
- title: Party Rock Anthem
  artist: LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett and GoonRock
  year: 2011
topFilms:
- title: The Killing
  year: 2011
  note: Netflix released this acclaimed Danish crime series in 2011
- title: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
  year: 2011
- title: "Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol"
  year: 2011
topTVShows:
- title: Game of Thrones
  year: 2011
  note: Season 1 premiered April 17, 2011, weeks before bin Laden's death
- title: Breaking Bad
  year: 2011
  note: Season 4 aired July-October 2011
- title: The Newsroom
  year: 2011
  note: Aaron Sorkin series premiered June 2011
zeitgeistNote: 2011 marked peak social media adoption (Twitter, Facebook dominance); bin Laden's death was among the first major world events broken and debated on Twitter in real-time, with @BarackObama announcing the operation before traditional media
relatedQueries:
- Operation Neptune Spear SEAL Team Six Abbottabad
- Osama bin Laden death May 2 2011
- bin Laden compound Pakistan intelligence
- al-Qaeda after bin Laden leadership succession
- September 11 mastermind killed
- United States counterterrorism strategy 2011
- Pakistan CIA relations Abbottabad raid
- bin Laden burial at sea ceremony
