Speaking at a celebration marking the US Navy’s 250th anniversary, President Donald Trump praised the US Navy SEALs for their 2011 operation that killed Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. “History will never forget that it was the SEALs who stormed the compound of Osama bin Laden and put a bullet in his head,” Trump said, emphasising the significance of the raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The operation, authorised by then-President Barack Obama, ended the decade-long manhunt for the mastermind behind the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people.
Trump also reiterated a claim that he had warned about bin Laden a year before the 9/11 attacks. “I wrote about Osama bin Laden exactly one year before he blew up the World Trade Center,” he stated, asserting that he had urged authorities to monitor the Al Qaeda leader. Trump suggested that his warning was ignored, saying, “They didn’t do it. A year later, he blew up the World Trade Center.” He acknowledged the media’s scepticism, noting, “The fake news would never let me get away with that statement unless it was true.” No official records have independently verified Trump’s claim of a specific pre-9/11 warning.
The president further highlighted the Navy’s role in disposing of bin Laden’s body, stating it was “dumped” from the USS Carl Vinson “to sink into the dark abyss.” The 2011 raid, conducted on May 2, was a pivotal moment in the US fight against terrorism, with Obama announcing bin Laden’s death in a televised address, declaring it a significant blow to Al Qaeda. The operation followed years of intelligence work to locate bin Laden, who had been in hiding since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.
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Trump also used the occasion to criticise past US military strategies, particularly the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan under President Joe Biden. He claimed the US could have “won Afghanistan easy” but was hindered by political correctness. “We’re not politically correct anymore. Now we win,” he said. The remarks reflect Trump’s ongoing focus on military strength as he addresses supporters ahead of future policy discussions.
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