Washington- The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) spokesman Ryan Trapani, in the past few days, defended the agency’s tweeted details posted in commemoration of five years marking the takedown of al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden.
Speaking to ABC- a U.S. based television broadcasting company-, Trapani said that bin Laden’s takedown stands to be a historical masterpiece of planning and execution going to the agency’s portfolio.
“On the fifth anniversary, it is appropriate to remember the day and honor all those who had a hand in this achievement,” Trapani told ABC.
Out of nowhere, a series of CIA tweets, on bin Laden’s takedown flooded the agency’s page. The first tweet mentioned that in tribute of the fifth year passing on the raid which killed bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan, the CIA would post details on the event “as if it were happening today.”
Throughout the day, the agency tweeted non-stop. However, no new pictures were circulated; only old images taken inside military operation rooms of the White House. The pictures featured U.S. President Barack Obama and major league U.S. officials watching over the mission live.
The Washington Post commented on the CIA tweets describing them as an unexpected surprise, not necessarily a good one, intended for reasons of publicity which enraged Americans nationwide.
Commentary largely poured in criticizing the CIA tweets on five-year-old information; highlighting that the agency had chosen silence at the time the news was raw.
Many comments used synonyms of “scandalous”, “shameful” and “odd” to respond to the tweets.
Other twitter users resorted to posting satirical pictures and wide-eyed ogling avatars holding their face up in disbelief.
On the same day, CIA Director John Brennan, in a rare broadcasted interview, to NBC spoke about the war against ISIS mentioning the fifth anniversary on bin Laden’s takedown. He shed light on the U.S. successfully terminating a large fraction of al-Qaeda’s body since bin Laden’s death in Pakistan during 2011.
Brennan added that bin Laden’s death has strategic and symbolic significance and the necessity of removing him out of the picture was unquestionable.
Speaking of the war against ISIS, Brennan said that getting rid of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, ISIS current commander in chief, will have great influence as well.
The CIA has been contributing to the ongoing campaign launched against ISIS in each of Syria and Iraq. Launched airstrikes by coalition allies are conducted under CIA coordination, Brennan added.
The war against terrorism is not only waged against organizations yet against a “phenomenon”, which means that the challenge is expected to stretch out for years.
“If we got Baghdadi, I think it would have a great impact on the organization, and it will be felt by them,” he said.
However, the death of al-Baghdadi does not necessarily means the axing out of the whole organization, Brennan explained.