Osama Bin Laden Dead: U.S. Team's Mission Was To Kill, Not Capture, Official Says

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. special forces team that hunted down Osama bin Laden was under orders to kill the al Qaeda mastermind, not capture him, a U.S. national security official told Reuters.

"This was a kill operation," the official said, making clear there was no desire to try to capture bin Laden alive in Pakistan. (Reporting by Mark Hosenball, writing by Matt Spetalnick)

Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters. Click for Restrictions.

Comments

[cdiasmd]

09:53 AM on 05/06/2011

According to Sen Saxby Chambliss:

“The order had been in existence since shortly after 9/11 that if you encounter bin Laden you’ve got the authority to kill him. And I hope that’s what the SEALs went in there to do. It was appropriate.” After 9/11, President George W. Bush signed secret executive orders authorizing kill-or-capture missions and Obama has not rescinded them.
http://www.nationaljournal.com/nationalsecurity/chambliss-has-questions-on-bin-laden-raid-20110505

[dadashark]

12:04 PM on 05/05/2011

As long as Eric Holder is Atty Gen. Navy Seals won't carry hand cuffs.

[dadashark]

12:04 PM on 05/05/2011

Finally this president understands the difference between a war and a legal battle. I predict that will change if he survives the 2012 elections. Unless we replace him with an adult Club Guitmo will be gone in 2013, and we can forget about getting the type of information that lead us to bad guys like Osama.

[Soul American]

09:16 AM on 05/03/2011

What happened to showing the other cheek?

:)

[cyndeewi]

09:08 PM on 05/03/2011

I have no idea.

[PaddyMc68]

06:42 AM on 05/03/2011

Why is this story still up? It's been thoroughly contradicted by a number of officials. Apprehension was absolutely an option; UBL made his choice. Shame on HuffPo for not at the very least updating this hiccup.

[Jackie2000]

09:59 AM on 05/06/2011

well...that's because they would have to update it again and again and again....as the latest is - there was only one ak-47 recovered...and a pistol -- only one of which got a round off -- and that would have been one of the couriers or bro. there's simply no evidence obama had access at that time to a weapon.

i'm glad he's dead - don't get me wrong -- but we need to just tell the truth. i don't care about obl -- but i do care about my gov't lying. they just need be honest.

[KarasudaJay]

08:48 PM on 05/02/2011

This goes very much against what then candidate Obama campaigned on when he said capture was better than killing. If the goal was to capture and that's what he said, as this is a law enforcement matter according to him and targeted assassinations are bad (when somebody else does them), then why is the administration now claiming the mission was kill *not* capture.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25251815/ns/40181656

Look, it's great the guy is dead, but this is quickly turning into another "...now what I said all along was..." moment.

[dmounts905]

07:57 PM on 05/02/2011

So where is the proof. No pictures?

[johnr49]

08:24 PM on 05/02/2011

No long-form death certificate??

[sensimilla]

12:14 PM on 05/03/2011

no picture of the corpse, means obl DID NOT DIE IN THE RAID. simple as that.

[oralborealus1]

07:23 PM on 05/02/2011

Vengence is Ours at Last!!
Thank You Presidernt Obama!!

[CHARLESHARRIS]

07:07 PM on 05/02/2011

just a little somthing on dna testing...http://en.allexperts.com/q/Careers-Police-1531/2009/6/DNA-test-long.htm

[johnr49]

08:28 PM on 05/02/2011

A differing view:

http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2011/0502/How-do-we-know-it-was-really-Osama-bin-Laden-The-DNA-test-explained.

[snookie2244]

06:58 PM on 05/02/2011

QUDOS LYNNE!!! IT'S NICE TO HEAR THAT THIS WAS ONE OF OBAMAS FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS AFTER TAKING OFFICE. HE HAS A TOUGH JOB. I IMAGE IT'S NOT EASY TO TRY TO FIX THE PROBLEMS OF THE PAST PRESIDENT.BUSH HAD 8 YEARS TO DESTROY OUR ECOMONY SO WHY DO WE THINK IT CAN BE FIXED IN LESS THAN THE 31/2 YRS. HE'S BEEN IN OFFICE. I'M REMINDED OF A LESSON TAUGHT BY MY PARENTS AS A CHILD. " UNLESS YOU WALK A MILE IN SOMEONE ELSES SHOES DON'T JUDGE THE WAY THEY CHOOSE TO DEAL WITH THE CRISIS AT HAND". MY FAMILY TO HAS LOST MUCH OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS JOB ECT... BUT HE'S DOING THE BEST WITH WHAT HE GOT.

[melb3]

06:44 PM on 05/02/2011

God Bless The American Military.

[rle1875]

07:56 PM on 05/02/2011

Thank you for saying this--and PLEASE thank every Viet Nam Veteran you come upon-they were treated very very bad when they came home. I work in a VA Medical Center, and if you knew half of the things people called them you would bow your head and cry in shame. One Vet I know (initials H.J) told me he considered suicide because he was spit in the face when he came home and was still emotionally devastated from all he saw in Nam. He is a kind quiet man with true integrity,and I call him once a month to tell him how much I appreciate him and how much I want him to feel good again, his son is a Vet too from Iraq who also has seen horrific situations-now in addition to what he feels he worries that his son may do something to himself because of all the shredded human bodies he saw. So if your heart feels it---find Viet Nam Vets and look them straight in the eye and say thank you, and God Bless you-shake their hand and smile at them. You have no idea-it may be your one display of appreciation that keeps them from killing themself. God Bless all Vets-but God please lift the hearts of the Viet Nam Vets-they need you & us desperately--and most won't show it--but when they step away their eyes will fill with tears of hope because of YOU!

[KarasudaJay]

08:49 PM on 05/02/2011

Well, we all know they couldn't have done anything without President Obama bravely leading from the Situation Room. Let's keep credit where it belongs.

[Zadeekah]

06:11 PM on 05/02/2011

Next on the list: Gaddafi and Assad.

[Mary Katzianer]

06:08 PM on 05/02/2011

I HOPE ALL YOU OBAMA CULT MEMEBERS ARE PROUD OF YOUR HERO!!!WHEN AL-QUIDA COME AND THEY WILL I DON'T WANT TO HEAR A WORD THAT YOUR HERO KILL THEIR HERO!!!!MORE WILL DIE BECAUSE OF THIS KILLING OF OSAMA .LIKE MANY AMERICANS I WAS UIPSET OF THE 3000+ DEAD ON 9-11. PUT CHARGING HIM WITH CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY WOULD HAVE BEEN A BETTER CHOICE THEN KILLING HIM. HANG HIM AFTER HE WAS CHARGED THAT WOULD GAVE AMERICA THE UPPER HAND. INSTEAD OF MAKING HIM A SAINT UNDER AL-QUIDA RULES!!!!

[desertdao]

09:51 PM on 05/02/2011

You are an idiot. The opportunity to arrest him was not there. Why are you questioning the military heroes who were on this mission. You must not support our troops or love the USA.

[Danish5666]

10:16 PM on 05/02/2011

"The opportunit­y to arrest him was not there.". Yes you would know.

"You must not support our troops or love the USA." More BS.

[klclt]

06:07 PM on 05/02/2011

lets see, trump why r u so important? birth cerificate? lol

[marco10]

05:56 PM on 05/02/2011

when 911 happened our country posted a 25 million dollar bounty on binladen, i hope the guys who went in there get it!