How the CIA got Osama

Soon after the dramatic commando operation that killed Osama bin Laden, US administration officials have now begun revealing details of the decade-long torturous search to hunt down one of the most wanted men in history.

Apparently the first leads emerged from detainees at the infamous Guantanamo Bay sometime after the infamous 2001 terror attacks in the United States with the CIA being provided the name of a courier implicitly trusted by bin Laden. The problem was that the name was just a pseudonym and the courier's real identity remained hidden.

It was only in 2007 that the courier was positively identified and the CIA focused itself on his activities. 

By 2009, the CIA had identified areas in Pakistan where the courier operated along with his brother. The fact that the courier was very careful in his movements and in the conduct of his work only strengthened US suspicions that they were on the right track.

In his televised address president Obama confirmed that he was informed in August of last year that very likely bin Laden's residence had been located. What followed was months of diligent investigation aimed at confirming the evidence.

US intelligence sources now say they were shocked when they first saw the compound at Abbottabad. For the record, Abbottabad lies a mere 50 kms north-east of Islamabad and approximately 150 kms from the Pak-Afghan frontier.