Barack Obama · Democratic · Military Action
Raid That Killed Osama bin Laden
May 2, 2011
Barack ObamaForeign PolicyMilitary ActionFirst term (2009–13)
📜 View the official record on federalregister.gov
What happened
Ordered the Navy SEAL raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan that killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, the architect of the 9/11 attacks.
How it happened
Presidential authorization of a covert special-operations raid on May 2, 2011.
Documented impact
Positive impactsubstantiated
Eliminated the world's most-wanted terrorist; broadly popular.
A signature national-security achievement that drew rare near-universal public approval.
Negative impactcontested
Strained U.S.-Pakistan relations.
The unilateral raid on Pakistani soil without notice damaged bilateral trust.
Sources
Every claim above links to its source. Primary record and cited reporting: