Bin Laden, a hunt that lasted nearly ten years

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.

LIBYA: Obama fixed the issues and the limits of U.S. involvement

Reuters - Barack Obama in a speech on the situation in Libya, said Monday that the U.S. would, in concert with their allies, seek to hasten the day when Moammar Gadhafi should step down, but he stressed they would not use direct force to overthrow him.

In a televised address to the nation, Bush, accused by many members of Congress not to have explained the role of the international coalition in Washington, defended its decision to intervene militarily in the conflict in Libya.

At the same time, he clarified the limits of the action of the United States and sought to counter the impression that he had no clear goals nor credible strategy out of the conflict.

"For generations, the United States plays a unique role as an anchor of international security and defending the fundamental freedoms." Bearing in mind the risks and costs of military intervention, we're obviously reluctant to use force to solve the many problems facing the planet. But when our interests and values ​​are at stake, we have a responsibility to act. That's what happened in Libya over the past six weeks, " the president said.

"Libya is directly between Tunisia and Egypt, two countries that have inspired the world when their peoples have stood up to take control of their destiny. For over 40 years, the Libyan people is led by a tyrant, Muammar Gaddafi.It deprives its people of freedom, uses his wealth, murdering its opponents at home and abroad, and terrorizing innocent people in the world - including Americans who were killed by Libyan agents.

GADDAFI DOES NOT "OVERNIGHT"

"Tonight, I am able to say that we stopped the progression of lethal Gaddafi," he said before a gathering of officers at the National Defense University in Washington, 10 days after ordering that the United States participating in Operation "Dawn of the Odyssey."

"We hit the air defenses (Gaddafi), which allowed the establishment of a no-fly zone.We targeted the tanks and other forces that were strangling the cities, and we cut to a large extent the supply lines, "he said.

The U.S. president also said that the award of U.S. Command in NATO would intervene on Wednesday.

"We will deprive the system of any weapon, interrupt his source of income, help the opposition, and we will work with other countries to hasten the day when Gaddafi will leave power," continued the president.

This, he said, "will not happen overnight," and he admitted that Qaddafi might be able to cling to power."Expanding our military mission to a regime change would be a mistake," he pointed out, however.

Obama spoke on the eve of the scheduled conference in London on Tuesday attended by 35 countries on the situation in Libya.

The issue of Obama's speech was to identify and clearly define the purpose and scope of the mission of the United States to Libya, to be understood by Americans, preoccupied with domestic economic problems, which are already of a dim view of the costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

EGYPT: The system can hardly contain an outbreak of violence Tahrir Square

Egyptians armed with knives attacked Wednesday hundreds of pro-democracy demonstrators gathered in Tahrir Square in Cairo, reported state television.

"Hundreds of men armed with knives entered (...) on Tahrir Square," said the presenter, while the images were of stone-throwing demonstrators and hundreds driven from this place that was the epicenter the dispute having ousted President Mubarak in February.

The clashes took place while the new government met the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which ruled the country since the departure of Mr.Mubarak, in order to propose a law criminalizing incitement to hatred, which could make them liable to the death penalty, said the TV station.

The country's military rulers are trying to restore order on several fronts in the aftermath of deadly clashes between Muslims and Coptic Christians in the poor neighborhood of Moqattam, in eastern Cairo, which have ten dead and 110 wounded, according Department of Health.

Egypt is undergoing a period of high insecurity after the police had disappeared from the streets as the protest movement against the regime was in full swing.

Wednesday, the Muslim Brotherhood, the largest opposition movement in Egypt, accused of holding up the former Egyptian president Mubarak of inciting violence, a view widely shared by the population.

IRAQ: At least 10 policemen killed in a suicide bombing in Samarra

AFP - A suicide car bombing against police left 10 dead and 16 injured Monday morning in the Iraqi city of Samarra (center), announced a lieutenant-colonel of the police.

A policeman on guard outside the door, fired on the bomber but he managed to bring his white van filled with explosives into the compound of the Rapid Response Unit, arrived in the south two weeks ago to protect the ceremonies marking the death of an imam revered by Shiites, said the senior officer who wished to remain anonymous.

February 12, near the Sunni town located 110 km north of Baghdad, at least 30 people were killed and 28 wounded by a suicide bomber who detonated his explosive vest in a bus of Shiite pilgrims.

Samarra which houses the mausoleum are buried the 10th and 11th imams revered by Shia Twelver Ali al-Hadi (827-868) and Hassan al-Askari (847-874) in which the faithful commemorate the death Saturday.

The destruction of the Samarra shrine bombing in February 2006 had triggered violence between Shiites and Sunnis in which tens of thousands of people had been killed.

FRANCE: "Carlos Ghosn could not remove all the shadows that loom over the Renault affair"

The CEO of Renault was first expressed on Sunday about the espionage case that shook his group. To log 20 hours of TF1 and the Journal du Dimanche, he said he was sure of the merits of the dismissal of three executives suspected of disclosing sensitive information on the program of electric vehicles from Renault. Didier Heiderich, president of the International Observatory of crises, and author of "Crisis Management Plan" (ed.Dunod, October 2010) deciphers for FRANCE 24, the communication strategy of the boss of Renault-Nissan.

France 24: Carlos Ghosn Delivering the Sunday TV news TF1 did she believe?
Didier Heiderich: The CEO of Renault did not err and we felt that every word was weighed upstream of the interview. Carlos Ghosn managed to get his message was far from clear: Renault is sure of his facts and acted within the bounds of ethics.

Still, I stayed on my hunger. The whole lacked content. Given the circumstances, it was mission impossible anyway.Renault can not say anything because a criminal investigation is underway, and the case touches on a strategic issue for the group. In addition, the authorities are very likely when it comes to Franco-Chinese relations. So, Carlos Ghosn was in vain that he had certainty, the evidence is still awaited. And lack of evidence gives rise to speculation.

France 24: Do you think that Carlos Ghosn was wrong to speak?
DH: When he came on the plateau by TF1, one felt that he wanted to speak on the issue. In this sense he was right. Nevertheless, Carlos Ghosn took a big risk by talking like that certainty.There is a basic principle of crisis communication: it must not be contradicted by the facts.

It remains that this whole thing is surrounded by a halo of "barbouzerie. What happens if a serious investigation calls into question the relationship with the Chinese industrial espionage? Thereby taking the floor, Carlos Ghosn is exposed. If the theory of industrial espionage falls into the water, its reputation could suffer. The televised speech raises the question of whether to speak when we can not support all of its assertions.

France 24: The controversial dismissal of three executives from Renault now goes back almost three weeks, speaking of Carlos Ghosn is reached it not late?
DH: He spoke after the attack against the three executives charged and fired. In this context, it began to be important for the management of Renault speaks. He must know that the CEO of a group of this size rarely speaks in public. So the question is, who addressed Carlos Ghosn? As the company has been challenged by its former employees, this intervention is not only to the general public but also an operation of internal communication to reassure employees and shareholders of Renault.