What Actually Happened

In the months leading up to the operation, Obama and his advisers had vigorously debated the best course of action. Without complete certainty in the intelligence some advocated waiting for additional confirmation.  Others argued that a drone strike was the safest option. Most agreed that for a target like bin Laden, the United States could not rely on cooperation from Pakistan’s security services. Even providing Pakistani forces advance notice of the operation was deemed too risky. Ultimately, Obama and his NSC decided that a raid was necessary.  The administration wanted to be certain of the operation’s success and to gather intelligence about the activities of al Qaeda.

In the early hours of May 2, 2011, a team of U.S. Navy SEALs conducted a covert raid, code-named Operation Neptune Spear, on the compound where bin Laden was suspected to be located. Ultimately, the raid was a success, killing bin Laden and four others on the compound, including one of bin Laden’s sons. SEALs also retrieved a large amount of intelligence from the compound that would be used to shed light on al-Qaeda’s activities.

The raid put considerable strain on the United States’ already tense relationship with Pakistan. Initially, the Pakistani government praised the operation as a victory against terrorism. It quickly also condemned the raid as “an unauthorized unilateral action.” Pakistan warned the United States that future violations of its sovereignty would not be tolerated. Ultimately, the event did not completely rupture relations. Cooperation between the two countries on counterterrorism operations continued in the following years, although tensions routinely flared. The tumultuous relationship has prompted a significant decrease in counterterrorism operations in the country since their peak in 2010.

The successful operation marked a significant U.S. victory in the war on terror, but it did not bring that war to an end. Al-Qaeda, though diminished, continued to operate. New threats, including the self-proclaimed Islamic State, emerged. U.S. counterterrorism operations, especially drone strikes, continued both in Pakistan and beyond, in countries such as Somalia and Yemen. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism has reported that between 2001 and 2020, the United States conducted an estimated total of over 14,000 drone strikes. The United States has additionally conducted other special forces operations to kill terrorist leaders, such as a 2019 raid in Syria killing Islamic State founder and leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Ultimately, counterterrorism will likely remain a prominent U.S. national security issue for years to come. Washington will need to contend with an ever-shifting landscape of terrorist threats and balance its national security with its reputation and relationships with partners and allies.