The Central Intelligence Agency's media wing is facing a social media backlash after tweeting a "real time" account of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden - five years after the event.

In an unusual decision taken to mark the five year anniversary of the 2011 raid, the agency's Twitter account is publishing an hour by hour description of the top secret mission against the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks.

The decision to tell the story using the same timings as the day of the raid, "as if it were happening today" was designed to mark what will be a key part of President Barack Obama's legacy - and remind the public of the agencies role in the historic operation.