CIA mocked for ‘live tweeting’ Bin Laden killing
US spy agency marks fifth anniversary of al-Qaeda chief’s assassination by posting timeline of operation on Twitter.
Published On 21 May 2016
US spy agency the CIA has “live tweeted” the military raid that killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan five years ago, drawing derision and satire from many people on Twitter.
Bin Laden was killed by US Navy Seal commandos on May 2, 2011, when they raided his compound in Abbottabad.
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Several of the tweets included diagrams and maps of the compound, providing a rundown of the operation from the moment US President Barack Obama and intelligence officials approved it until the president received confirmation that bin Laden had been killed.
To mark the 5th anniversary of the Usama Bin Ladin operation in Abbottabad we will tweet the raid as if it were happening today.#UBLRaid
— CIA (@CIA) May 1, 2016
The CIA’s Twitter account has more than 1.3 million followers.
According to the timeline of events, two helicopters descended on the compound at 3:30pm and one crashed.
3:30 pm EDT – 2 helicopters descend on compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. 1 crashes, but assault continues without delay or injury#UBLRaid
— CIA (@CIA) May 1, 2016
The operation continued, however, and commandos killed the 54-year-old inside nine minutes.
3:39 pm EDT – Usama Bin Ladin found on third floor and killed#UBLRaid
— CIA (@CIA) May 1, 2016
One of the tweets showed an aerial photograph of the compound and a map of the region where it was located in Pakistan.
Daring #UBLRaid was an IC team effort & in close collaboration with our military partners.https://t.co/rklCIRLlgF pic.twitter.com/xZObdGeqPR
— CIA (@CIA) May 1, 2016
Another showed a layout of the premises.
Features
High walls/barbed wire
Double entry gates
No internet/phone connection
Trash burned not collected#UBLRaid pic.twitter.com/KyPIFPxA4d— CIA (@CIA) May 1, 2016
Several social media users criticised the CIA’s posts, while others satirised them.
Writing on its Twitter account, The Daily Show, a popular US news satire programme, mocked the agency.
If you live tweet the Bay of Pigs invasion, call us. Otherwise, stop it. #UBLRaid https://t.co/RJ7gwLbh1P
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) May 2, 2016
Others lambasted the exercise as an attempt to justify CIA actions.
CIA tweeting #UBLraid is more direct approach to pushing "torture works" lie than its usual route of using Hollywood https://t.co/yOQTkKSOhw
— Sarah Dougherty (@sm_doug) May 1, 2016
And several argued that the US should have brought bin Laden to trial rather than kill him.
https://twitter.com/zstruver/status/726834465729695744
Speaking to ABC News, CIA spokesperson Ryan Trapani defended the operation, arguing that the “takedown of bin Laden stands as one of the great intelligence successes of all time”.
He said: “On the fifth anniversary, it is appropriate to remember the day and honour all those who had a hand in this achievement.”
Source: Al Jazeera, News Agencies