CIA spied on bin Laden from safe house

Pakistani children look out from their high vantage point, to see the compound of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan, May 3, 2011. / AP

This story was written by Greg Miller

The CIA maintained a safe house in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad for a small team of spies who conducted extensive surveillance over a period of months on the compound where Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. Special Operations forces this week, U.S. officials said.

The secret CIA facility was used as a base of operations for one of the most delicate human intelligence gathering missions in recent CIA history, one that relied on Pakistani informants and other sources to help assemble a "pattern of life" portrait of the occupants and daily activities at the fortified compound where bin Laden was found, the officials said.

The on-the-ground surveillance work was part of an intelligence-gathering push mobilized after the discovery of the suspicious complex last August that involved virtually every category of collection in the U.S. arsenal, ranging from satellite imagery to eavesdropping efforts aimed at recording voices inside the compound.

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The effort was so extensive and costly that the CIA went to Congress in December to secure authority to reallocate tens of millions of dollars within assorted agency budgets to fund it, U.S. officials said.

Most of that surveillance capability remained in place until the execution of the raid by U.S. Navy SEALs shortly after 1 a.m. in Pakistan. The agency's safe house did not play a role in the raid and has since been shut down, in part because of concerns about the safety of CIA assets in the aftermath, but also because the agency's work was considered finished.

"The CIA's job was to find and fix," said a U.S. official, using Special Operations forces terminology for the identification and location of a high-value target. "The intelligence work was as complete as it was going to be, and it was the military's turn to finish the target."

The official, like others quoted for this article, spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak for the record. The CIA declined to comment.

U.S. officials provided new details on bin Laden's final moments, saying the al-Qaeda leader was first spotted by U.S. forces in the doorway of his room on the compound's third floor. Bin Laden then turned and retreated into the room before being shot twice -- in the head and in the chest. U.S. commandos later found an AK-47 and a pistol in the room.

"He was retreating," a move that was regarded as resistance, a U.S. official briefed on the operation said. "You don't know why he's retreating, what he's doing when he goes back in there. Is he getting a weapon? Does he have a [suicide] vest?"

Despite what officials described as an extraordinarily concentrated collection effort leading up to the operation, no U.S. spy agency was ever able to capture a photograph of bin Laden at the compound before the raid, or a recording of the voice of the mysterious male figure whose family occupied the structure's top two floors.

Indeed, current and former U.S. intelligence officials said that bin Laden employed remarkable discipline in his efforts to evade detection.

"You've got to give him credit for his tradecraft," said a former senior CIA official who played a leading role in the manhunt. When spotted by surveillance drones a decade earlier, bin Laden "had bodyguards, multiple SUVs and things like that. He abandoned all of that."

The officials also outlined emerging theories as to why bin Laden apparently selected the Pakistani military garrison city of Abbottabad as the place that afforded him the greatest chance to stay alive.

The discovery of bin Laden in Abbottabad has raised suspicion that he was placed there and being protected by elements of the Pakistani military and intelligence service, but U.S. officials said they have seen no conclusive evidence that was the case.

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[samlea1]

This is best news for the starting century. He got what he deserve (http://www.offshorecompany.cc/)

[Superstarzchef]

You're the "expert" over in India for Strategic Defense? This is the post you leave for Americans to read? India has pre-positioned Nuclear bombs in New York, Washington, and one of the worlds most populous cities-New Delhi-and you want people to take you seriously? Have you even read what you have written? No one who chances upon this internet site will EVER consider what your posting to be even remotely accurate. Even the crackpots (like yourself) would have a hard time believing any of the rhetoric you espouse. Perhaps for a good laugh, some "sane" individuals may wander over to your "blog" to garner a fun-filled 10 minutes of diversion. I for one, have more then enough to do to accomplish that. I usually put the garbage out front in a can for the garbageman to take away; yet unfortunately, we're all stuck with the drivel you have left laying around here on this internet board. If the powers that be at CBS persist in a free, and fair dicussion of ideas, then this post will remain here until the end of time. However, a disclaimer should be put above the title of your post warning normal people that your post is the work of a delusional, uniformed, self-proclaimed, intelligent, "expert". I, like 1000's of other, think not.

[James93x]

Islamabad easily tipped-off Osama's hiding place to American Forces. This was a joint operation by the United States Air Force (satellite intelligence-Incirlik, Turkey) and the United States Navy. Next story, please!!

[pinar6]

how do u know incirlik was involved?

[nomorelibs]

Our own CIA had been spying on this compound for months. Yet still had no definite intell that OBL was hiding out there. So why is it that we are lambasting Pakistan for not knowing that he was in this compound? I'm not saying that some in Pakistan did not know, but it's a little hypocritical of us to assume that they were incompetent or compliant, when our own people were spying on the compound and couldn't be sure.

[Superstarzchef]

As if we didn't already know! How stupid are most Americans? Once the CIA had found this compound, I'm quite confident that the full weight of ALL of Americas assets were brought to bear on "spying" on this compound to ascertain just exactly who was inside. Predators, KH-12 satellites, NRO electronic eavesdropping, Human Intel, bribes/bribery, the 'safe' house, 24-7 monitoring of all communications (which led us to believe that a hi-value target was inside due to the lack of telephone/internet), infra-red, ultra-sound, micro-robots, etc. These were all employed. Once the confirmation was nearly clear; as the CIA still only gave a 60%-80% chance that it WAS OBL inside, then the mission was green lighted. Obviously, the compound was studied thoroughly as they had built an exact replica of it in Afghanistan, for the SEALS to practice in/on. The question that needs to be answered is WHEN this mission was green-lighted. After all, we ARE the United States, and we DO have all of these technological advantages, so it's no surprise to me. I mean heck, we even risked losing our new "secret" helicopter. Plus the lives of the Brave SEALS who carried out this dangerous mission. I, for one, am glad that the future of the US is just a little safer knowing that OBL is dead, and that Brave Men and Women are doing a valuable job for our safety with little appreciation from most Americans.

[RichZubaty]

The story changes again! First he was hiding behind his wife. Then his wife attacked the Seals and was shot in the leg and OBL was shot in the chest, then head. Now they tell us that the helmet cameras were not even recording during the raid. Fat chance of that. That's the only time when it's important for them to be recording. They're hiding something. And for the fourth contradiction, now they say Osama was turning into a room that had weapons in it when he got plugged. These guys have lost all credibility. I do not believe anything they say, or anything Obama says about this, and I think there should be a thorough investigation. Separate the Seals from each other now and don't let them get their "story straight". They are lying. This was murder. Murder of the main "witness" to the people who were really the brains behind 9/11.

[Superstarzchef]

RichZubaty
After casting your vote for the conspiracy theorists, what are you going to do next? Post more ludicrous statements like this? Do Americans really need to know the full extent of the mission? Aren't secrets supposed to remain secret? Can't you trust the administration to at least tell us the truth? Why go around disseminating these "contradictions" when the greater good was accomplished? I feel confident that you ran around all the internet chat rooms blaming OUR Gov't for bringing the buildings down. Lastly, the only murder committed was by OBL and his cohorts on 9/11. Where is your head at? Take it out of your A** and smell the coffee. Ask your self why the Gov't would wait 10 years to make a specticle of all of this for Obamas' benefit, when according to you-it was the Bush administration the did this!

[brucesmall]

Conspiracy theorists like Rich are desperately afraid of the uncertainty in the real world. As scary as a huge conspiracy is, it is appealing to them because it means there is a force in charge of the world. Not likely, but it is better than chaos and not knowing what might happen next.

[RichZubaty]

The story changes again! First he was hiding behind his wife. Then his wife attacked the Seals and was shot in the leg and OBL was shot in the chest, then head. Now they tell us that the helmet cameras were not even recoding during the raid. Fat chance of that. That's the only time when it's important for them to be recording. They're hiding something. And for the fourth contradiction, now they say Osama was turning into a room that had weapons in it when he got plugged. These guys have lost all credibility. I do not believe anything they say, or anything Obama says about this, and I think there should be a thorough investigation. Separate the Seals from each other now and don't let them get their "story straight". They are lying. This was murder. Murder of the main "witness" to the people who were really the brains behind 9/11.

[january53]

Go slither back under the rock you oozed out from under. Loser.