U.S. Rolled Dice in Osama bin Laden Raid

After Intelligence Officials Identified a 'Mysterious Third Family' in Pakistan Mansion, President Obama Opted for Special Forces

  • + President Barack Obama and his national security team monitor the mission against Osama…

    President Barack Obama and his national security team monitor the mission against Osama bin Laden in real time from the White House Situation Room.

    Pete Souza/White House
  • + Pakistani forces patrol compound where Osama bin Laden was killed.

    Pakistani forces patrol compound where Osama bin Laden was killed.

    Associated Press
  • + Supporters of hardline pro-Taliban party Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Nazaryati shouted anti-U.…

    Supporters of hardline pro-Taliban party Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Nazaryati shouted anti-U.S. slogans and held up a picture of Osama bin Laden during a protest in Quetta, Pakistan, Monday.

    Banaras Khan/AFP/Getty Images
  • + U.S. forces were following a lead on Osama bin Laden's location that surfaced in August…

    U.S. forces were following a lead on Osama bin Laden's location that surfaced in August. They found him at this compound in Abbottabad, about 40 miles outside Islamabad in northern Pakistan.

    Anjum Naveed/Associated Press
  • + Footage obtained by ABC News showed what the network said was a room inside the compoun…

    Footage obtained by ABC News showed what the network said was a room inside the compound where it is believed Bin Laden lived in Abbottabad.

    ABC News via Associated Press
  • + Dan Parker of Shamokin, Pa., held a U.S. flag outside the White House in Washington Mon…

    Dan Parker of Shamokin, Pa., held a U.S. flag outside the White House in Washington Monday.

    Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
  • + Douglas Sidialo, who lost his sight in the 1998 bombing of the U.S. embassy in Nairobi,…

    Douglas Sidialo, who lost his sight in the 1998 bombing of the U.S. embassy in Nairobi, prayed at the memorial remembering the victims in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday.

    Khalil Senosi/Associated Press
  • + Jeff Ray and his wife, Barbara, of Shanksville, Pa., visited the local field where Flig…

    Jeff Ray and his wife, Barbara, of Shanksville, Pa., visited the local field where Flight 93 crashed on Sept. 11, 2001.

    Jeff Swensen/Getty Images
  • + An undated photo shows Osama bin Laden, center, with Ayman Al-Zawahiri, left, founder o…

    An undated photo shows Osama bin Laden, center, with Ayman Al-Zawahiri, left, founder of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, and Muhammad Atef, who was indicted in the U.S. for his alleged involvement in the 1998 bombings of U.S. Embassies in Tanzania and Kenya.

    AFP/Getty Images
  • + U.S. Marines watched television as President Barack Obama announced the death of Mr. bi…

    U.S. Marines watched television as President Barack Obama announced the death of Mr. bin Laden, at Camp Dwyer in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, Sunday.

    Bay Ismoyo/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
  • + People shouted slogans while holding placards and photographs of Mr. bin Laden as they…

    People shouted slogans while holding placards and photographs of Mr. bin Laden as they celebrated the news in Ahmedabad, India, Monday.

    Reuters

The decision to attack bin Laden's lair was built upon months of tenacious planning -- but it ultimately came down to gut instinct.

• U.S. TO PROBE PAKISTAN: U.S. officials said Monday they are probing whether the al Qaeda leader received Pakistani support before his death.

• HIS MANSION WAS NO CAVE: For years, bin Laden was thought to be hiding in a remote tribal region. Instead, he was residing in an upscale Pakistani town named after a Briton.

• CAPITAL JOURNAL: Important as it may be, disposing of bin Laden wasn't the most important goal for U.S. foreign policy. Actually, it hasn't been for some time.

• PHOTOS: The Compound | Illustration of the Compound

• LIVE BLOG: Click here for the latest news, links and more.

What’s News —

Business & Finance

Tech

Health

Management

U.S.

SmartMoney

MarketWatch

Royal Wedding

Business

Markets

Management

    Close

    How to Read this Chart

    • High
    • Current price, up from close
    • Price at prior day's close
    • Current price, down from close
    • Low

    Most Popular on Facebook

    Photos

    • [050211pod05]

      Photos of the Day: May 2

      In today's pictures, an angler fishes in a water-filled parking lot in Mississippi, a Buddhist monk prays in a tsunami-ravaged wasteland in Japan, a sand sculpture on an India beach shows the end for Osama bin Laden, and more.

    Partner Center
    An Advertising Feature