The Hunt For Osama Bin Laden Ends
Osama bin Laden, the terrorist who orchestrated the 9/11 attacks, had been in hiding since December of 2001. Obama wanted to make the hunt for bin Laden his top priority once he took office. In 2010, CIA analysts finally turned up intelligence on a man, nicknamed The Pacer, who was living on a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The Pacer had a number of similarities to bin Laden. He was well over six feet tall and had the same number of wives and children as bin Laden. He also burned his trash, and never left the compound, only walked in circles around the garden inside the compound. The CIA judged there was a 60 to 80 percent chance The Pacer was Osama bin Laden.
The decision of how to proceed was left with Obama. Secrecy was of the utmost importance. If any information leaked about their plan, bin Laden would get wind that the Americans were onto him and disappear again. Obama didn't want to make any sudden moves that would lead to mission failure before it even began.
After two years, Obama authorized a special ops mission. The plan was for a specialized team of Navy SEALS to secretly enter Pakistan from Afghanistan via helicopter, raid the compound, kill bin Laden, and escape before the Pakistani authorities even knew they were there.
On the day of the raid, tension was at an all-time high. Obama was unable to concentrate on anything else, so he passed time playing cards with his staff until night fell in Pakistan. When it was time, he and his team watched the military action live from a small room. The whole mission lasted only twenty minutes, but to Obama they were excruciating. Then, they got news that the mission was a success. Osama bin Laden had been killed.
When word got out that bin Laden was dead, crowds began to gather and cheer outside the White House, chanting “USA!” USA!” Just like Obama's election, this was a historic moment, and people were celebrating a historic victory. Obama noted it was the first time in his presidency that he didn't feel that he had to sell his accomplishments. He congratulated the successful SEAL team, and as he walked back to the White House, he felt a sense of relief. While there were many more hard battles to fight, including battling McConnell in Congress and upcoming tough reelection, he knew that he could breathe easier for at least one night.
The Hunt For Osama Bin Laden Ends
Osama bin Laden, the terrorist who orchestrated the 9/11 attacks, had been in hiding since December of 2001. Obama wanted to make the hunt for bin Laden his top priority once he took office. In 2010, CIA analysts finally turned up intelligence on a man, nicknamed The Pacer, who was living on a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The Pacer had a number of similarities to bin Laden. He was well over six feet tall and had the same number of wives and children as bin Laden. He also burned his trash, and never left the compound, only walked in circles around the garden inside the compound. The CIA judged there was a 60 to 80 percent chance The Pacer was Osama bin Laden.
The decision of how to proceed was left with Obama. Secrecy was of the utmost importance. If any information leaked about their plan, bin Laden would get wind that the Americans were onto him and disappear again. Obama didn't want to make any sudden moves that would lead to mission failure before it even began.
After two years, Obama authorized a special ops mission. The plan was for a specialized team of Navy SEALS to secretly enter Pakistan from Afghanistan via helicopter, raid the compound, kill bin Laden, and escape before the Pakistani authorities even knew they were there.
On the day of the raid, tension was at an all-time high. Obama was unable to concentrate on anything else, so he passed time playing cards with his staff until night fell in Pakistan. When it was time, he and his team watched the military action live from a small room. The whole mission lasted only twenty minutes, but to Obama they were excruciating. Then, they got news that the mission was a success. Osama bin Laden had been killed.
When word got out that bin Laden was dead, crowds began to gather and cheer outside the White House, chanting “USA!” USA!” Just like Obama's election, this was a historic moment, and people were celebrating a historic victory. Obama noted it was the first time in his presidency that he didn't feel that he had to sell his accomplishments. He congratulated the successful SEAL team, and as he walked back to the White House, he felt a sense of relief. While there were many more hard battles to fight, including battling McConnell in Congress and upcoming tough reelection, he knew that he could breathe easier for at least one night.
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