America’s Central Intelligence Agency’s decision to mark the fifth anniversary of the killing of Al-Qaeda founder Osama Bin Laden with ‘live tweets’ of the operation was met with heavy criticism and termed as ‘distasteful’.
On its official Twitter handle, the CIA used the hastag #UBLRaid to blast out updates of the 2 May 2010 military operation carried out in Pakistan as though it were happening live.
The takedown of bin Laden stands as one of the great intelligence successes of all time. History has been a key element of CIA’s social media efforts. On the fifth anniversary, it is appropriate to remember the day and honour all those who had a hand in this achievement.Ryan Trapani, CIA spokesman
The tweets were met with mixed responses on twitter and other platforms. Several people tweeted back, expressing their support for the agency.
Others condemned Laden’s killing, reminding the CIA that he should have been allowed to stand trial for his crimes.
In the face of heavy criticism, the CIA stood by their decision emphasising that it was a team effort in collaboration with military partners.