Fugitive Osama bin Laden's hunters came out of the night
THE thump of helicopters sweeping metres away at 12.30am yesterday was the first inkling Osama bin Laden's neighbours had that they were living in his shadow.
THE thump of helicopters sweeping metres from their rooftops at 12.30am yesterday was the first inkling Osama bin Laden's neighbours had that they were living in the shadow of the world's most-wanted terrorist.
The middle-class neighbourhood of Bilal Town is one of Pakistan's safest - a heavily built-up suburb less than 2km from one of the country's major military training academies, in the garrison city of Abbottabad.
For a half-hour, the helicopters hovered low over the houses, drawing people from their beds and into the streets before a huge explosion and the sound of gunfire sent them running for cover.
Elite Navy Seals spilled from the choppers and a fierce gunfight broke out.
Neighbours reported seeing one of the helicopters crash after it was hit by fire from inside the massive, walled compound where the al-Qa'ida commander-in-chief, his wives and at least one son had been hiding in plain sight.
US officials did not confirm the crash yesterday, although one helicopter was believed to have had mechanical problems.
"Like most of (the) people here I went to my rooftop to see what is going on," one neighbour, Muhammad Bashir, told The Australian yesterday.
"We saw people attacking this house and also heard voices of women and children from the house. They were weeping. We have also seen from our houses that these children, women and some other stuff being loaded on these helicopters and then they were flown away. One of the helicopters was hit by something while flying and it dropped close to the same house with a big bang and then fire erupted."
By 1.30am (6.30am AEST) it was all over. Bin Laden, the man who triggered the war in Afghanistan by masterminding the attacks on the US on September 11, 2001, and had evaded capture ever since, was dead. So too were at least one son and five aides.
Two women, believed to be his wives, and at least five others from inside the house were arrested and whisked away by helicopter.
Footage from GEO Television in Pakistan showed flames rising from the high-walled compound in the immediate aftermath of the attack.
The special operations forces were on the ground for less than 40 minutes and the operation was watched in real time by CIA director Leon Panetta and other intelligence officials in a conference room at the agency's headquarters in Langley, Virginia, an official said on condition of anonymity.
The team returned to Afghanistan with bin Laden's body, US officials said. The body was later reported to have been buried at sea.
Within hours of the operation, President Barack Obama had announced, in an address broadcast across the world, that the head of al-Qa'ida had been killed.
"Justice has been done," Mr Obama said.
A nine-month long top secret US operation led ultimately to the white-walled mansion in a heavily built-up neighbourhood just 150km from the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.
Intelligence officials first discovered the sprawling compound last August while tracking an al-Qa'ida courier. Their suspicions were triggered by its 5.5m walls, heavy security and the absence of phone or internet lines.
The courier had been on the US's most-wanted list for years as one of bin Laden's most trusted aides, a man held in such high esteem by the Saudi-born terror leader it was suspected he could be living with his commander. The residents of the property were said to burn their garbage rather than put it out for collection.
Mr Bashir said he had always thought the house was occupied by two brothers who had lived there for seven or eights years with their children.
"They were very nice to people and always welcomed people to their house," he said. "I have gone to this house more than 10 times. The house has many security camera and computers. I never asked them about the gadgets."
By mid-February, intelligence on the property had firmed and US authorities were beginning to allow themselves to believe they may finally have got their man.
Over the next 2 1/2 months, Mr Obama led five meetings of the National Security Council focused solely on whether bin Laden was in that compound and, if so, how to get him, an official said.
The President finally gave the go-ahead on Friday for an operation under the sole command of Mr Panetta, who was last week announced as new defence secretary.
While Mr Obama credited Pakistani intelligence co-operation, US authorities said that neither Pakistan, nor any of the US's other allies, was privy to the operation.
The revelation left Pakistan's most powerful men foundering to put a positive spin on the operation, which is likely to trigger accusations in coming days that the US breached the South Asian nation's sovereignty.
In Islamabad yesterday, the country's most powerful men spent much of the morning holed up in Presidemt Asif Ali Zardari's mansion. For more than two hours, army chief Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, ISI head Shuja Pasha, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and Zardari were shuttered in a closed meeting.
By early afternoon they had released a muted statement that noted the toll al-Qa'ida had had on Pakistan and its citizens: almost 30,000 civilians dead in terrorist attacks in the past few years and more than 5000 Pakistani security and armed forces "martyred in Pakistan's campaign against al-Qa'ida, other terrorist organisations and affiliates".
"This operation was conducted by the US forces in accordance with declared US policy that Osama bin Laden will be eliminated in a direct action by the US forces, wherever found in the world," the statement said.
"Osama bin Laden's death illustrates the resolve of the international community, including Pakistan, to fight and eliminate terrorism. It constitutes a major setback to terrorist organisations around the world."
Additional reporting: Nokhiz Sahi