WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Friday will privately thank some members of the elite special forces team involved in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, an administration official said on Thursday.
The meeting is to take place when Obama visits Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to address several military units that have recently returned from duty in Afghanistan.
The official said Obama met at the White House on Wednesday with Vice Admiral William McRaven, who The Washington Post reported was the overall commander of the bin Laden mission. Bin Laden was killed on Monday in Pakistan by a top-secret U.S. strike team.
The official said Obama will meet "special operators" involved in the mission but was not specific.
The elite team that carried out the mission included Navy SEAL commandos.
News reports say Fort Campbell is home to some helicopter pilots of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, which specializes in airborne special forces missions.
"The president met with Admiral McRaven at the White House yesterday to thank him personally in the Oval Office and will have the opportunity to privately thank some of the special operators involved in the operation tomorrow at Fort Campbell," the official said without elaborating.
(Reporting by Steve Holland and Matt Spetalnick; Editing by Doina Chiacu)