CIA relives bin Laden hit, looks ahead to next big kill

As agency ‘live-tweets’ assassination of al-Qaeda head to mark five year anniversary, spy chief talks up taking out Islamic State’s leader

Ahead of the five-year anniversary of the killing of Osama bin Laden, CIA chief John Brennan said Sunday that taking out the head of the Islamic State group would have a “great impact.”

US special forces killed al-Qaeda founder bin Laden in Pakistan on May 2, 2011.

As his agency ‘live-tweeted’ the events as they unfolded five years ago, the CIA director warned that al-Qaeda remained a threat and that IS was not just an organization but a phenomenon.

Using the hashtag #UBLRaid, the CIA live-tweeted the raid on bin Laden as if it were happening Sunday, tweeting updates that included the famous picture of President Barack Obama and other high-ranking US officials watching matters unfold from the Situation Room.

“3:39 pm EDT – Usama Bin Ladin found on third floor and killed #UBLRaid,” read one tweet.

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

Brennan told NBC’s “Meet the Press” talk show, though, that the assassination had not totally felled the terror group.

“We have destroyed a large part of al-Qaeda. It’s not completely eliminated. So we have to stay focused on what it can do,” Brennan said.

“Now, with the new phenomenon of (IS), this is going to challenge us for years to come,” he added.

Asked if removing IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi from action was as important as the bin Laden get, Brennan, who does not often do interviews, was direct.

File: Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi giving a sermon. (screen capture: YouTube)

“He is important, and we will destroy ISIL; I have no doubt in my mind. We have to remove the leadership that directs the organization to carry out these horrific attacks,” he said, using an alternate acronym for the IS group.

“If we got Baghdadi, I think it would have a great impact on the organization. And it will be felt by them,” he added.

This undated photo shows al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan. (Photo credit: AP)

“But this is a large, not just organization, it’s a phenomenon. We see it not just in Syria in Iraq, we see it in Libya, Nigeria, and other countries. We’re going to have remain very focused on destroying all elements of the organization.”

Brennan also said a 28-page secret chapter from a congressional inquiry into 9/11 contains preliminary information about possible Saudi links to the attackers that hadn’t been corroborated or checked out at the time.

The Obama administration may soon release part of the material.

CIA Director nominee John Brennan testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013, during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee (photo credit: AP/J. Scott Applewhite)

Brennan said there were “concerns about sensitive source of methods, investigative actions” and notes the Sept. 11 investigation still was underway when the chapter was written.

Brennan said the 9/11 Commission followed up on the preliminary information in the 28 pages and made “a very clear judgment” there was no evidence indicating “the Saudi government as an institution or Saudi officials individually” financially backed al-Qaeda.

He added he was concerned some might seize on “uncorroborated, unvetted information” and cite Saudi involvement, which would be “very, very inaccurate.”

AP contributed to this report