Newly released photos capture drama at White House during operation to kill Osama bin Laden

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. open image in gallery Staffers working on President Obama’s address to the nation The raid took place nine years and almost eight months after hijacked airplanes struck New York City’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people in a terrorist attack that nearly brought the world to a standstill. According to senior administration officials at the time, the president had begun working with the CIA in September 2010 “on a set of assessments that led it to believe that in fact it was possible that Osama bin Laden may be located at a compound in Pakistan.” Intelligence became more aggressive and pinpointed, and President Obama, in the middle of March, began chairing a number of National Security Council meetings. The Library withheld 307 photos from the Post, describing their contents as ‘national security classified information.’” open image in gallery The Obama Presidential Library withheld 307 photos from the FOIA response, describing their contents as ‘national security classified information’ Bin Laden’s body was buried at sea the same day. After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body.” He continued: “Tonight, we give thanks to the countless intelligence and counterterrorism professionals who’ve worked tirelessly to achieve this outcome.