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Osama bin Laden Shot Dead by Navy SEALs 9 Years Ago Today

Osama bin Laden sits with his adviser Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri during an interview with Pakistani Hamid Mir. Hamid Mir took this picture during his third and last interview with Osama bin Laden in November 2001 in Kabul.

Nine years ago today, on May 1, 2011, Osama bin Laden was shot and killed in , after U.S. Navy SEALs from SEAL Team Six conducted a raid on his compound in Operation Neptune Spear.

I remember watching the celebrations in Times Square, NYC and Washington, DC with great pride after hearing that our military upheld the promise to hold the man responsible for 9/11 accountable. Never thought I’d be able to thank The Operator in person.

Rob O’Neill, the Navy SEAL who says he was the one who fired the shots that killed bin Laden during the raid on his Abbottabad compound, has posted to in the past about the anniversary. He also appeared on Fox & Friends in 2018 to speak about that day.

“How did a kid from Montana who would barely swim become a Navy SEAL and end up right here at this moment,” O’Neill said, recalling watching announcements of bin Laden’s death on TV while the terrorist leader’s dead body was at his feet.”

“It was such an awesome night,” he continued. “It was such an honor to be a part of that incredible team.”

O’Neill described some of the events of that night, including the moment he came face-to- face with bin Laden. “I turn a corner after pretty much the bravest act of heroism I’ve ever seen, when the point man jumped on the suicide bombers – I turned to the right based on the way he went, and there was bin Laden standing there about three feet away,” he said. “We thought we were going to die,” O’Neill later added.