Osama bin Laden was able to evade capture for 10 years primarily because of strategic and operational failures during the early stages of his pursuit, particularly at the Battle of Tora Bora in late 2001. Key reasons include:

• In December 2001, during the Battle of Tora Bora in Afghanistan, U.S. forces and their allies believed they had bin Laden cornered in a cave complex. However, insufficient U.S. troop deployment and over-reliance on Afghan militias and local forces allowed bin Laden to escape into Pakistan through mountain passes that were not effectively blocked by U.S. forces. The U.S. requested additional troops to seal escape routes and proposed using air-dropped mines, but these requests were denied due to concerns about a larger U.S. military presence fueling anti-American sentiment and insurgency risk.

• Bin Laden's disappearance was also aided by the fact that he abandoned traditional signs of his importance, such as armed guards and convoys, and hid in a compound behind an 18-foot wall for years, making it difficult for intelligence and surveillance to detect him. The U.S. only discovered his location in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in 2010 by tracking a courier linked to him, which eventually led to his killing in a raid by U.S. Navy SEALs in 2011.

• Additionally, operational limitations such as the holy month of Ramadan affected the local forces' endurance and effectiveness, allowing al-Qaeda fighters including bin Laden to regroup and move under the cover of the ceasefire negotiations during the battle.

These factors combined enabled Osama bin Laden to evade capture for nearly a decade after 9/11, until intelligence breakthroughs and a specialized raid led to his death in 2011.