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U.S. team's mission was to kill bin Laden, not capture

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Mon, May 2 2011
A news ticker displays information on al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's death in Pakistan as people attend a spontaneous celebration in New York's Times Square, May 2, 2011. REUTERS/Chip East

A news ticker displays information on al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's death in Pakistan as people attend a spontaneous celebration in New York's Times Square, May 2, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Chip East

WASHINGTON | Mon May 2, 2011 8:46am EDT

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)
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Osama bin Laden
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Comments (46)
hargen wrote:
Notice how Osama’s videos show him in the rugged mountains living in caves? Right, he, like all millionaires, lived in a luxury compound while the idiots who follow him live on dirt floors.

May 02, 2011 9:15am EDT  --  Report as abuse
bytra wrote:
Way To Go Navy Seals
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I am grateful to the navy seals for escorting Osama Bin Laden to meet the 71 Virginians who have been waiting to kick his a$$!!!! I personally plan a trip from Pennsylvania to the ocean so I can spit on his watery grave!!!

Good Riddence Osama!!!

May 02, 2011 9:27am EDT  --  Report as abuse
half-waked wrote:
I have yet to see any evidence that Bin Laden was involved in the 9-11 attacks. The FBI thinks the same and he was never indicted for that crime. That’s why he had to be killed, not captured. He could only be tried for the USS Cole and the Embassy bombing. Something is fishy.

May 02, 2011 9:28am EDT  --  Report as abuse
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