Navy Seals have been heavily involved in Afghanistan The men assigned to capture or kill Osama Bin Laden were part of the US Navy's legendary special forces unit, the Seals. Who are they?
It was years in the planning but took just 40 minutes to execute.More than a dozen members of the US military were dropped near the high-walled, three-storey compound on the outskirts of Abbottabad in north-west Pakistan.
After a brief firefight, five people were killed, including Osama Bin Laden, who reportedly received a shot above his left eye.
All the US forces escaped unharmed, despite technical problems with one helicopter that they had to leave behind.
It says everything about their presence of mind that despite the dangers, they collected hard drives, DVDs and documents from the building before they left.
From the US point of view, the mission, codenamed Geronimo, could hardly have gone any better, a reflection on the preparation and skills of the men who carried it out.
Although there has been no official confirmation which team was involved, it is widely thought that it was the Seal Team Six (ST6), officially known as the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, but more commonly known as DevGru.
Continue reading the main story "Discreet pride" is the best way to sum up the mood. Local people are delighted that the men who faced down Bin Laden were from the Seal base at Virginia Beach, but they also understand that absolute secrecy is the foundation of Seal achievements.
The town's mayor is politely declining interviews - having earlier floated the idea of a public tribute to the special forces. And at the base which is understood to house Team Six, the Military Police were courteous but tight-lipped.
At CP Shuckers, a bustling late-night bar, I heard a surprisingly nuanced range of views on Bin Laden's death. Everyone welcomed the killing, and many were proud of the local connection. But there was no consensus as to whether the terror threat to America would now ease.
Separately, I spoke to a serving SEAL, who did not want to be identified. He was mildly sceptical about the US government's account of the raid. "I'll only form a true view on this," he said, "when I hear about it directly - from the guys who were there."
The town's mayor is politely declining interviews - having earlier floated the idea of a public tribute to the special forces. And at the base which is understood to house Team Six, the Military Police were courteous but tight-lipped.
At CP Shuckers, a bustling late-night bar, I heard a surprisingly nuanced range of views on Bin Laden's death. Everyone welcomed the killing, and many were proud of the local connection. But there was no consensus as to whether the terror threat to America would now ease.
Separately, I spoke to a serving SEAL, who did not want to be identified. He was mildly sceptical about the US government's account of the raid. "I'll only form a true view on this," he said, "when I hear about it directly - from the guys who were there."
They are the all-star, elite group of Seals, a team of military personnel trained to carry out top secret operations.
The Seals are part of the Navy Special Warfare Command, and are also the maritime component of the US Special Operations Command, continually deployed throughout the world in operations to protect US interests.There are 2,500 Seals in total, and they take their name from the environments in which they are trained to work - sea, air and land. But it is their highly specialised training to operate in water that they are best known for.
Their missions can be enormously varied in nature, involving combat, anti-terrorism and hostage rescues.
These guys are America's thoroughbreds, says Don Shipley, from Virginia, who spent two decades in the Navy as a Seal.
"They're the finest guys America has. Your average guy walking down the street just doesn't have it. Continued
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