AFP - The information collected and analyzed for years have finally formed a puzzle: the hunt for Bin Laden has sharply accelerated last summer when the U.S. services have come back to the residence he occupied the north of Islamabad, as the story of a U.S. official.
Since Sept. 11, the most wanted man in the world remained elusive.Until the night of Sunday to Monday, when U.S. commandos killed him in the building of a wealthy district of Abbottabad, about fifty kilometers from the Pakistani capital.
"From the moment we have identified bin Laden as a threat, the CIA has gathered evidence on people's inner circle, including his personal messengers," said a senior official of the Obama administration on condition of anonymity in a conference call.
One of these messengers of particular interest to U.S. intelligence.Members of Al Qaeda captured had given his "nom de guerre" and had described as a protege of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the attacks of Sept. 11, and a trusted assistant of Abu Faraj Al- Libbi, the number three al Qaeda captured in 2005.
"They also presented the man as one of the only messengers that bin Laden had confidence and showed that he could live with him and protects him. But for years, we could not the be identified by his real name or know his whereabouts, "said the senior official.
It was not until 2007 that his identity is discovered.But no question the senior official revealed. A few months ago, the Americans finally discover the area where the messenger was, with his brother in Pakistan.
"But we could not always know exactly where they lived." They took great care.
"The fact that they are so cautious has reinforced the feeling that we were on the right path," he says.
August 2010, turning the hunt for the leader of Al Qaeda
August 2010: the breakthrough. Their house is finally located, it is a "complex in Abbottabad" in a neighborhood populated by retired military.Barack Obama is informed.
"When we saw the complex where the brothers lived, we had a shock," said the senior official.
The complex occupies a large area. It is "eight times larger than other houses in the neighborhood." When it was built in 2005, he was at the end of a small dirt road.From other houses have been built around.
Satellites, drones, human intelligence? The senior does not detail how the observations were made, but every detail of this residence is duly appraised.
Security measures? "Extraordinary," he said.The walls rise up to 5.5 meters and is topped with barbed wire, access is possible only by "two secure portals.
Another incongruity, the occupants are burning their garbage when the neighbors have a collection service.
The apartment building also clashes in the environment with "little windows on the exterior" and its three floors topped walls of two meters to mount on the roof while protecting themselves from prying eyes.
No internet, phone.And how the two brothers could they have offered this Properties valued at one million dollars where they live with their families and a third family that is very similar to that of Bin Laden?
After studying the issue "all angles", the conclusion is obvious: there is a "strong likelihood" that it is the leader of Al Qaeda.
Friday at 8:20 (12:20 GMT) Barack Obama authorizes the transaction.It is still Sunday afternoon in Washington early Monday morning in Pakistan, when "a small American team" boarded helicopters for this "particularly dangerous operation," says another senior U.S. official.
The raid itself as "surgical" not to cause casualties among women and children who occupy the residence or the neighbors. Bin Laden, a son and two brothers, his messengers, are killed and a woman used as "human shield by a fighter." Another woman was wounded.The senior official said he could not go into details and does not specify whether the prisoners were made.
One of the helicopters to mechanical problems, he can not take off. The commandos and destroy the pile aboard another aircraft with the body of bin Laden.
The commandos will be 40 minutes remained on the ground, the hunt is over.
