FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Operation Neptune Spear remains one of the most significant US counterterrorism interventions, while debates over its details continue.
Former US Navy SEAL Robert O'Neill, who claims to have shot Osama bin Laden, has spoken about the only regret he still holds 15 years after the operation.
The event dates back to May 1, 2011, when US forces launched the operation known as "Neptune Spear" in Pakistan, ending the almost 10-year search for the al-Qaeda leader after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
O'Neill says his team was briefed on the mission only three weeks before it was to be carried out and initially didn't fully understand its significance. He recalls that before departure they were asked to meet their families, and then they were briefed in the presence of senior American political and military leaders.
The operation lasted about nine minutes. O'Neill says he immediately identified bin Laden and shot him several times in the head. He adds that the most difficult moment for him was being separated from the children, knowing the high risk of the mission.
However, he expresses a personal reservation about the way bin Laden's body was treated after the killing. US authorities decided to bury him at sea to avoid creating a symbolic site. O'Neill says he would have preferred a public trial and execution in the United States as a sign of American justice.
His claim of a role in the killing has been disputed by another former Navy SEAL, who has also claimed responsibility for the act. Both have been criticized within the military community for breaking the unwritten silence that usually accompanies such operations.
Operation Neptune Spear is considered a key moment in the fight against terrorism and continues to raise discussions about the ethical and strategic aspects of military interventions of this type.
Lini një Përgjigje