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Obama took SIXTEEN HOURS to make up his mind about Bin Laden mission
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 7:20 PM on 3rd May 2011
President 'slept on it' as tense military chiefs awaited decision
Barack Obama kept military commanders hanging by declaring he would 'sleep on it' before taking 16 hours to give the go-ahead to raid Bin Laden's compound.
Hit squads of specialist Navy Seals - who were not even told who they were preparing to capture - had practised the mission at two reconstructions of the terror chiefs sprawling compound.
The mission looked set to be given the all clear last Thursday when analysts confirmed beyond doubt that Bin Laden was in busy town of Abbottabad in northern Pakistan.
But the president stunned officials when he told a national security meeting that he wanted more time to think - and disappeared out of the room.
'I'm not going to tell you what my decision is now - I'm going to go back and think about it some more,' said Obama, according to the New York Times. He then added 'I'm going to make a decision soon.'
The head of the CIA and other senior intelligence officers who were keen to proceed were left tense as they waited for the president's decision.
But the next morning after 16 hours, Obama summoned four top aides to the White House Diplomatic Room. Before they could speak, the president put his fist on the table and declared 'It's a go'.
With those three words, the greatest military operation in recent history began. Had it not been for heavy cloud cover on Saturday, troops would have been deployed then.
But they waited another day, and reached Pakistan just before midnight on Sunday evening. Obama refused to tell Pakistan about the mission in case it was leaked by jihadist sympathisers within the administration and Bin Laden took flight.
Luckily, the four U.S. helicopters were not detected by Pakistan's military who would have been quick to take action against the uninvited aircrafts.
After a 40-minute raid, the details of which are still emerging, Bin Laden was declared dead having received a bullet to the brain.
President Obama retold to members of Congress details of the skilled mission that claimed the head of the world's most wanted terrorist.
Today it emerged that in a remarkable 36 hours of his presidency, Barack Obama carried the enormous secret but gave no hint of the mission as he consoled tornado victims, delivered a college commencement address and cracked jokes at a black-tie dinner.
What few insiders knew was that the US leader had given the go-ahead last Friday for the military operation which would end with the death of Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, target of the world's most intense manhunt.
After giving his consent, Mr Obama, wife Michelle and daughters Sasha and Malia left the White House on a busy day of travel, with three stops in two states.
In Alabama, one of several Southern states battered by fierce tornados, Mr Obama assumed his role as consoler in chief as he and the first lady visited communities in Tuscaloosa which had been flattened by the twisters.
Next stop was Cape Canaveral in Florida, even though Endeavour's launch, the next to last one before the shuttle fleet is retired, had been scrapped for technical reasons well before Mr Obama left Alabama. He stuck to his schedule, touring Nasa facilities with his family.
He also met privately with wounded Representative Gabrielle Giffords, a fellow Democrat. Her husband, Mark Kelly, is the shuttle commander.
The president also delivered an evening commencement address at Miami Dade College before returning to Washington.Mr Obama had a stoic demeanour throughout the weekend.
In retrospect, there were some meagre clues that something may have been going on.
Mr Obama went straight to the Oval Office in his golf shoes, instead of to the residence as he normally does after golf. Photos showed him looking tense and clench-jawed.
All became clear late on Sunday when he told the nation shortly before midnight that bin Laden had been killed at the hands of US Navy Seals.
The troops abseiled down ropes in Bin Laden's high-security compound in Abbottabad and opened fire on the terrorist leader when he refused an offer to surrender and be taken alive.
Bin Laden's body was buried at sea but there has been some controversy over the situation, with many demanding proof that Bin Laden had been killed.
Two Pentagon officials have said the at-sea burial of Osama bin Laden was videotaped and that it probably will be released soon.
The officials said photos of the body prior to its disposal in the North Arabian Sea also may be released.
It was not clear whether the firefight in which US forces are said to have shot bin Laden to death was videotaped.
John Brennan, the White House counter-terrorism chief, told reporters that the administration was still deliberating on release of the material. Making it public might satisfy those who would otherwise doubt that it was bin Laden who was killed.
President Barack Obama plans to visit New York City on Thursday to mark the death of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
The White House says Obama will visit ground zero, the site of Al-Qaeda's attack on the World Trade Centre, and meet with the families of those killed nearly 10 years ago.
Obama took SIXTEEN HOURS to make up his mind about Bin Laden mission
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 7:20 PM on 3rd May 2011
President 'slept on it' as tense military chiefs awaited decision
Barack Obama kept military commanders hanging by declaring he would 'sleep on it' before taking 16 hours to give the go-ahead to raid Bin Laden's compound.
Hit squads of specialist Navy Seals - who were not even told who they were preparing to capture - had practised the mission at two reconstructions of the terror chiefs sprawling compound.
The mission looked set to be given the all clear last Thursday when analysts confirmed beyond doubt that Bin Laden was in busy town of Abbottabad in northern Pakistan.
But the president stunned officials when he told a national security meeting that he wanted more time to think - and disappeared out of the room.
'I'm not going to tell you what my decision is now - I'm going to go back and think about it some more,' said Obama, according to the New York Times. He then added 'I'm going to make a decision soon.'
The head of the CIA and other senior intelligence officers who were keen to proceed were left tense as they waited for the president's decision.
But the next morning after 16 hours, Obama summoned four top aides to the White House Diplomatic Room. Before they could speak, the president put his fist on the table and declared 'It's a go'.
With those three words, the greatest military operation in recent history began. Had it not been for heavy cloud cover on Saturday, troops would have been deployed then.
But they waited another day, and reached Pakistan just before midnight on Sunday evening. Obama refused to tell Pakistan about the mission in case it was leaked by jihadist sympathisers within the administration and Bin Laden took flight.
Luckily, the four U.S. helicopters were not detected by Pakistan's military who would have been quick to take action against the uninvited aircrafts.
After a 40-minute raid, the details of which are still emerging, Bin Laden was declared dead having received a bullet to the brain.
President Obama retold to members of Congress details of the skilled mission that claimed the head of the world's most wanted terrorist.
Today it emerged that in a remarkable 36 hours of his presidency, Barack Obama carried the enormous secret but gave no hint of the mission as he consoled tornado victims, delivered a college commencement address and cracked jokes at a black-tie dinner.
What few insiders knew was that the US leader had given the go-ahead last Friday for the military operation which would end with the death of Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, target of the world's most intense manhunt.
After giving his consent, Mr Obama, wife Michelle and daughters Sasha and Malia left the White House on a busy day of travel, with three stops in two states.
In Alabama, one of several Southern states battered by fierce tornados, Mr Obama assumed his role as consoler in chief as he and the first lady visited communities in Tuscaloosa which had been flattened by the twisters.
Next stop was Cape Canaveral in Florida, even though Endeavour's launch, the next to last one before the shuttle fleet is retired, had been scrapped for technical reasons well before Mr Obama left Alabama. He stuck to his schedule, touring Nasa facilities with his family.
He also met privately with wounded Representative Gabrielle Giffords, a fellow Democrat. Her husband, Mark Kelly, is the shuttle commander.
The president also delivered an evening commencement address at Miami Dade College before returning to Washington.Mr Obama had a stoic demeanour throughout the weekend.
In retrospect, there were some meagre clues that something may have been going on.
Mr Obama went straight to the Oval Office in his golf shoes, instead of to the residence as he normally does after golf. Photos showed him looking tense and clench-jawed.
All became clear late on Sunday when he told the nation shortly before midnight that bin Laden had been killed at the hands of US Navy Seals.
The troops abseiled down ropes in Bin Laden's high-security compound in Abbottabad and opened fire on the terrorist leader when he refused an offer to surrender and be taken alive.
Bin Laden's body was buried at sea but there has been some controversy over the situation, with many demanding proof that Bin Laden had been killed.
Two Pentagon officials have said the at-sea burial of Osama bin Laden was videotaped and that it probably will be released soon.
The officials said photos of the body prior to its disposal in the North Arabian Sea also may be released.
It was not clear whether the firefight in which US forces are said to have shot bin Laden to death was videotaped.
John Brennan, the White House counter-terrorism chief, told reporters that the administration was still deliberating on release of the material. Making it public might satisfy those who would otherwise doubt that it was bin Laden who was killed.
President Barack Obama plans to visit New York City on Thursday to mark the death of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
The White House says Obama will visit ground zero, the site of Al-Qaeda's attack on the World Trade Centre, and meet with the families of those killed nearly 10 years ago.
