Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad

Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad
CIA aerial view of Osama bin Laden's compound from east
Map of Pakistan showing the location of the compound
Alternative names	Waziristan Haveli
General information
Type	Compound
Location	Bilal Town, Abbottābad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Country	Pakistan
Coordinates	34°10′9″N 73°14′33″E
Construction started	2003
Completed	2005
Inaugurated	January 6, 2006 (date bin Laden was believed to have moved in)
Cost	US$250,000–1,000,000+ (disputed) (Rs. 21.25–85 million)
Owner	Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti
Technical details
Floor count	3
Floor area	38,000 square feet (3,500 m2)
Design and construction
Structural engineer	Gul Mohammed (wall builder)

Diagram of the compound.

Location of the compound in relation to the center of Abbottābad.

Osama bin Laden's compound, known locally as the Waziristan Haveli (haveli means "mansion" and Waziristan is a region in Pakistan), is the safe house in which Osama bin Laden was hiding when he was killed. The structure is located 0.8 miles (1.3 km) southwest of the Pakistan Military Academy in Bilal Town, a suburb of Abbottābad, Pakistan. The suburban area of the Bilal Town is an area housing retired military officers. Bin Laden was reported to have evaded capture living in this house for at least five years, hiding away from the public who were unaware of his presence.

Completed in 2005, the compound lies on a plot of land much larger than those of nearby houses, although apart from its size and exaggerated security measures, the house itself does not stand out architecturally from others in the neighborhood. It is surrounded by 12-to-18-foot (3.7 to 5.5 m) concrete walls topped with barbed wire. There are two security gates and the third-floor balcony has a 7-foot (2.1 m) privacy wall. The compound measures 38,000 square feet in size, and has very few windows. Despite being little more than five years old, the compound consists of ramshackle buildings, badly in need of repainting and pictures of inside the house showed excessive clutter and modest furnishings. The compound grounds contained a well-kept vegetable garden, rabbits, some 100 chickens and a cow.

After President Barack Obama authorized the mission to kill or capture bin Laden, CIA Director Leon Panetta gave the go-ahead at midday on May 1. The raid was carried out by 24 helicopter-borne United States Navy SEALs from the United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU) of the Joint Special Operations Command, temporarily transferred to the control of the Central Intelligence Agency. The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), an airborne unit of the United States Army Special Operations Command known as the Night Stalkers, provided two modified Black Hawk helicopters, and two Chinooks as backups. At approximately 1:00 a.m. local time (20:00, May 1 UTC), the SEALs breached the compound's walls using explosives. Encounters between the SEALs and the residents took place in the guest house, in the main building on the first floor where two adult males lived, and on the second and third floors where bin Laden lived with his family. The second and third floors were the last section of the compound to be cleared. The encounter with bin Laden on the third-floor lasted only seconds and took place during the last five or 10 minutes of the raid; he was killed by at least one and possibly two American bullets, one of which struck the left side of his head, another shot was widely reported to be a bullet to the chest. Three men other than Osama bin Laden and a woman present at the compound were reportedly killed in the operation. The individuals were said to be bin Laden's adult son (likely Hamza; some sources call him Khalid), the courier Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti, the courier's relative and the courier's wife. However, Pakistani sources told the New York Times that the dead were all male. While bin Laden's body was taken by U.S. forces, the bodies of the four others killed in the raid were left behind at the compound; those bodies were later taken into Pakistani custody.

Architecture

In the urban setting, the architecture of the bin Laden hideout has been called by an architect as "surprisingly permanent – and surprisingly urban" and "sure to join Saddam Hussein’s last known address among the most notorious examples of hideout architecture in recent memory". The compound was fortified with many safeguard features which would confuse would-be invaders, and US officials described the compound as 'extraordinarily unique'. Associated Press identified the owner as Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti, who purchased the vacant land for the complex in 2004 and four adjoining lots between 2004 and 2005 for the equivalent of US$48,000.

Constructed between 2003 and 2005, the three-story structure is located on a dirt road 2.5 miles (4.0 km) northeast of the city center of Abbottābad. While the compound was assessed by US officials at a value of US$1 million, local real-estate agents assess the property value at US$250,000. Intelligence reports have indicated that bin Laden may have moved into the complex on January 6, 2006.

On a plot of land much larger than those of nearby houses, it was surrounded by 5.5-metre (18 ft) concrete walls topped with barbed wire. Apart from its size, it does not stand out from others in the neighborhood and it was not easily seen except from close by. The compound walls are higher than usual in the neighborhood, although nearly all houses in Bilal Town have barbed wire. There were no phones or internet wires running into the compound. Security cameras were found installed, and aerial photographs show several satellite dishes. There were two security gates and the third-floor balcony had a 7-foot (2.1 m) privacy wall. The compound measured 38,000 square feet (3,500 m²) in size, and had very few windows.

The compound was known as Waziristan Haveli by the local residents, and owned by a transporter from Waziristan; bin Laden previously spent time in the Waziristan area of Pakistan.

One of the main builders of the compound, Gul Mohammed, was instructed to construct the 5.5-metre (18 ft) high perimeter fence and then to build another wall 7 feet (2.1 m) tall around one of the dwellings. He was suspicious due to the activities of his men and when requested to build huge-fort like walls was curious and was told it was none of his business. According to Mohammed, one or two men came to supervise his work and that they were not restrictive with their money. He was to refer to the main occupant of the household as "The Master", even though he never met him.

The compound had an adjacent grazing area which hosted cows and a buffalo as well as a deep water well, possibly allowing it a water supply separate from the local municipality. There was a small garden on the north side of the house that included poplar trees. A farmer's field growing cabbages and potatoes surrounded the compound on three sides, and cannabis (which grows wild in the province) grew up to the side of the compound.

Furnishings

Despite bin Laden's immense wealth and the initial US claims of him living in a luxury mansion, the compound, despite being little more than five years old, consisted of ramshackle buildings, badly in need of repainting. The main gate was painted in a dark green color. Pictures of inside the house showed excessive clutter, modest furnishings, poor quality foam mattresses, no air conditioning and old televisions. Several of the bedrooms had an attached kitchen and a bathroom. The children from the house were exclusively home schooled, in Arabic; one of the first floor rooms served as a classroom, with a whiteboard, markers and textbooks.

Food

The self-described brothers of the house known to the neighbors would frequently visit the local shops. They would buy enough food to feed ten people, and purchased "the best brands—Nestle milk, the good-quality soaps and shampoos", Pepsi and Coca Cola. The food found at the house by the Pakistani authorities was basic, such as dates, nuts, eggs, olive oil and dried meat. The brothers would visit Rasheed's corner store, about a minute's walk from the house, with young children for whom they bought sweets and soft drinks. They also purchased bread from a local bakery.

Rabbits, some 100 chickens and a cow were reared on the compound grounds. A vegetable garden at the back of the house was well-kept, and Shamraiz, a neighbouring farmer, was paid to plant vegetables about twice a year. Days before the May 2011 raid Shamraiz was called to plough additional ground in the compound using a tractor. He never went inside the house itself.

Pharmacopeia

According to NBC News, the following drugs and medicines were found at the compound by Pakistani investigators: Tablet, Ulcer Capsule, Tab/Cap Gabapentine, Penza drops, Natrilix, Grucid, Avena syrup, NIFIM, an antibiotic, Syp, Tixylax (its use generally for children for chest problems), Brufen syp and Dettole, an antiseptic.

History

Gulf News reported that it had previously been used as a safe house by Inter-Services Intelligence, but was no longer being used for this purpose. ISI admitted that this compound was raided in 2003 while under construction as Abu Faraj al-Libbi was suspected of living there. However this account was disputed by American officials who said that satellite photos show that in 2004 the site was an empty field. The Globe and Mail reported local police saying that the compound belonged to Hizbul Mujahideen, a militant group supported by ISI which is fighting the Indian forces in Kashmir.

American intelligence officials discovered bin Laden's whereabouts by tracking one of his couriers, Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti. Information was collected from Guantánamo Bay detainees through enhanced interrogation, who gave intelligence officers al-Kuwaiti's pseudonym and said that he was a protégé of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. In 2007, U.S. officials discovered the courier's real name and, in 2009, that he lived in Abbottābad. Using satellite photos and intelligence reports, the CIA surmised the inhabitants of the compound. In September, the CIA concluded that the compound was "custom built to hide someone of significance" and that it was very likely that Osama bin Laden was residing there. Officials surmised that he was living there with his youngest wife. US Intelligence estimates that bin Laden lived in the compound for five or six years, and it has been surmised that he could have moved into the house on January 6, 2006. Bin Ladens wife confirmed to the Pakistani authorities that they had lived in the compound for five years. Prior to moving to this compound they lived in village Chak Shah Mohammad, in the nearby Haripur District, for nearly two and a half years.

Operation Neptune Spear

Main article: Death of Osama bin Laden

Background and research

The extraordinary security measures, both physical and operational, indicated a well planned hideout. Apart from sectioning of the compound with high raised walls of varying heights, the layout included a wall on the terrace of the third floor which point to a custom-built structure.

The U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, using drone-derived intelligence, developed "what amounted to a detailed 'map' of the bin Laden compound and its occupants and their patterns of living and working." This map was used to create a model of the compound for practice runs.

In addition, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency helped the Joint Special Operations Command create mission simulators for the pilots who flew the helicopters into the breach and analyzed data from an RQ-170 drone before, during, and after the raid on the compound.

CIA director Leon Panetta issued a memo that also credited the National Security Agency and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency for contributing to the intelligence-gathering that made the raid possible. The National Journal reported that "NSA figured out, somehow, that there was no telephone or Internet service in the compound"; although a satellite dish is plainly visible on a building on the complex. Its residents burned their trash, unlike their neighbors, who simply set it out for collection.

The attack

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, along with members of the national security team, receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in the Situation Room of the White House

After President Obama authorized the mission to kill or capture Osama bin Laden, CIA Director Leon Panetta gave the go-ahead at midday on May 1. The raid was carried out by 24 helicopter-borne United States Navy SEALs from the United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU) of the Joint Special Operations Command, temporarily transferred to the control of the Central Intelligence Agency. The DEVGRU SEALs operated in two teams of 12 each. According to The New York Times, a total of "79 commandos and a dog" were involved in the raid. Additional personnel on the mission included "tactical signals, intelligence collectors, and navigators using highly classified hyperspectral imagers." The SEALs flew into Pakistan from a staging base in Jalalabad, Afghanistan after originating at Bagram Air Base. The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), an airborne unit of the United States Army Special Operations Command known as the Night Stalkers, provided two modified Black Hawk helicopters, and two Chinooks as backups. The Black Hawks may have been never-before-publicly-seen "stealth" versions of the helicopter. The 160th SOAR helicopters were supported by multiple other aircraft, including fixed-wing fighter jets and drones. According to CNN, "The Air Force also had a full team of combat search-and-rescue helicopters available."

The DEVGRU operators fast-roped out of the Blackhawks. After the operators were on the ground, one of the hovering helicopters stalled, in a vortex created by its own prop wash and the high compound walls. After the helicopter stalled, it "grazed one of the compound's walls" "breaking a rotor". The helicopter "rolled onto its side" during an emergency landing.

At approximately 1:00 a.m. local time (20:00, May 1 UTC), the SEALs breached the compound's walls using explosives. Encounters between the SEALs and the residents took place in the guest house, in the main building on the first floor where two adult males lived, and on the second and third floors where bin Laden lived with his family. The second and third floors were the last section of the compound to be cleared.

According to NBC News and the New York Times, the only "firefight" took place between the first team of DEVGRU SEALs and the armed courier, who lived in the guest house. A female, identified by some as the courier's wife, was killed during this exchange. The courier's relative and bin Laden's son were both killed in the main house by the second team of DEVGRU SEALs, the relative on the first floor, and the son on the staircase.

An unnamed U.S. senior defense official told the Associated Press only one of the five killed was armed.

The SEALs encountered and captured personnel in the compound, including women and children, who were restrained with plastic handcuffs or zip ties and left in place until the raid was over, at which point the SEALs moved them all outside "for Pakistani forces to discover."

Osama bin Laden

Bin Laden and the DEVGRU team encountered each other on the second or third floor of the residence; bin Laden was "wearing the local loose-fitting tunic and pants known as a shalwar kameez". Bin Laden reportedly peered over the third floor ledge at the Americans advancing up the stairs, then retreated into his room. The attackers quickly followed him into his room and shot him. He was later found to have €500 and two phone numbers stitched into his clothes. Although there were weapons in the room, including an AK-47 and Makarov pistol, bin Laden was unarmed at the time he was shot, though he did put up resistance. "The encounter with bin Laden lasted only seconds," according to Politico, and took place during "the last five or ten minutes" of the raid. Bin Laden was killed by at least one and possibly two American bullets, one of which struck the left side of his head, another shot was widely reported to be a bullet to the chest. This is consistent with what is referred to as the double tap technique.

Three men other than Osama bin Laden and a woman present at the compound were reportedly killed in the operation. The individuals were said to be bin Laden's adult son (likely Hamza; some sources call him Khalid), the courier Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti, the courier's relative and the courier's wife. However, Pakistani sources told the New York Times that the dead were all male.

In addition to the five fatalities, two other women were injured. According to ABC News, bin Laden's fifth wife, Amal Ahmed Abdul Fatah, was one of the injured women; "When the SEALs entered the room in which bin Laden was hiding, his wife charged them and was shot in the leg." Bin Laden's 12-year-old daughter also saw him killed.

The exact number and identity of the people living in the compound is uncertain. Several appear to be members of the Osama bin Laden family, including as many as three of his wives (including the fifth and youngest) and at least three children. A Pakistani official told The New York Times that nine children ranging from two to twelve years old were placed in Pakistani custody; seven of those children may have belonged to the courier and his relative. According to the British Daily Mail, "four children and two women, including bin Laden's daughter Safia, were taken away in an ambulance." One other person was reportedly taken away alive by the U.S. military; CIA and White House officials denied that anyone was taken alive at any time during the raid.

While bin Laden's body was taken by U.S. forces, the bodies of the four others killed in the raid were left behind at the compound; those bodies were later taken into Pakistani custody.

Wrap-up

The raid was intended to take 30 minutes. All told, the time between the team's entry in and exit from the compound was 38 minutes. Time in the compound was spent neutralizing defenders; "moving carefully through the compound, room to room, floor to floor" securing the women and children; clearing "weapons stashes and barricades", including a false door, three AK-47s and two pistols; and searching the compound for information. Evidence seized from the compound is said to include ten cell phones, five to ten computers, twelve hard drives, at least one hundred "computer disks" (including thumb drives and DVDs), handwritten notes, documents, weapons and "an assortment of personal items." A special CIA team has been tasked with combing through the digital material and documents removed from the bin Laden compound. The material is being stored at the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, where forensic experts will analyze fingerprints, DNA and other trace evidence left on the material.

The helicopter that had made the emergency landing was damaged and could not fly the team out. It was consequently destroyed to safeguard its classified equipment, including an apparent stealth capability. After they "moved the women and children to a secure area" U.S. forces "improvise[d] by packing the helicopter with explosives and blowing it up." The assault team "called in one of two backup [helicopters]" to transport them to the Carl Vinson in the North Arabian Sea.

After the event

The hideout, now under the security control of the Pakistan Police, indicate highly fortified compound walls made of concrete blocks with three gates, zoning the building from the large courtyard and a garden planted with immature fruit trees in front of a collapsed wall. The remains of the Navy SEALs' helicopter that crashed during the U.S. operation was later removed from the site by a tractor.

Police have allowed reporters and locals to approach the wall of the hideaway. The doors are lodged in place, but police did not exert themselves to open them. Pakistan security agencies plan to demolish the compound to prevent it becoming a "sacred building for jihadis."

Local residents

Locals have disclosed details about their interactions with the residents of the compound to an AP journalist in Pakistan. A woman who distributed polio vaccine to the compound said she saw expensive SUVs parked inside. The men received the vaccine and instructed her to leave. A woman in her seventies said that in rainy weather one of the men from the hideaway gave her a ride to the market. Her grandchildren had played with the children living in the house, and received rabbits as presents. One farmer said, "People were skeptical in this neighborhood about this place and these guys. They used to gossip, say they were smugglers or drug dealers. People would complain that even with such a big house they didn't invite the poor or distribute charity". Present at some neighborhood funerals, two men from the compound were "tall, fair skinned and bearded" and self-identified as cousins from elsewhere in the region. If a child's cricket ball went over the fence, the men in the compound did not return that ball; instead they paid the child 100–150 Pakistani rupees (about US$2–3), many times the value of the ball.

See also

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• Location of Osama bin Laden
• Osama bin Laden's house in Khartoum

External links

• Video inside the compound and house
• Photographs