Osama bin Laden

9/11, CIA, Debra Burlingame, detainee, Osama bin Laden

Bush era detainees interrogations led to Osama bin Laden

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The Washington Post has reported:

The operation hinged almost entirely on the hunt for a single man: a courier working out of Pakistan who had been trusted by bin Laden for years. U.S. analysts and operatives spent years figuring out the courier’s identity, senior administration officials said, concluding that he was a former protege of Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the self-declared mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks who is being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The courier “in particular had our constant attention,” one official said. Detainees “identified this man as one of the few al-Qaeda couriers trusted by bin Laden, indicated he might be living with or protecting bin Laden,” the official said. But until four years ago, the United States was unable to track him down or uncover his real name. Two years ago, U.S. officials narrowed down the region in Pakistan where the courier was working, senior administration officials said.

During a Fox News interview late last night, Debra Burlingame said, “We need to ask our national security leaders and the President, frankly, why we don’t have an interrogation program; right now we have no interrogation program on its feet.”

Osama bin Laden’s body was then buried at sea.

9/11, Osama bin Laden, Usama bin Laden

Osama bin Laden is dead (Updated)

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Updated, 3:43 a.m. May 2, 2011:

The Long War Journal adds:

[Updated 01:24 AM Eastern]

US officials have confirmed that Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda’s top leader, was killed during an early morning raid by US forces in Pakistan today.

President Barack Obama said Osama bin Laden was killed by “a small team of Americans” during a raid on a fortified mansion in Abbottabad, Pakistan. “After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body,” Obama said. Bin Laden’s body is currently in Afghanistan. No US personnel were killed during the operation.

According to CNN, “senior US officials” have stated that the operation was conducted by US Navy SEALs inserted by multiple helicopters, one of which crashed due to mechanical failure. The Associated Press reported that four US helicopters took off from an airbase in northwestern Pakistan, and one took fire during the operation. That helicopter was later destroyed by US troops. ABC News reported that an estimated 20 to 25 SEALs backed by CIA personnel carried out the raid on the $1 million compound.

In addition to bin Laden, four other people, including one of bin Laden’s sons and two couriers, were also reported killed in the firefight. A woman was also killed during the raid.

Foreign governments, including Pakistan, where the raid took place, were sidelined, according to The Washington Post. A US intelligence official with knowledge of the raid told The Long War Journal that Pakistan, specifically its Inter-Services Intelligence agency, “could not be trusted” with operational details of the raid.

Original post:

Breaking news tonight that President Obama will announce that Osama bin Laden was killed by a U.S. air strike a week ago. This from Fox News:

Usama bin Laden is dead, multiple sources confirm to Fox News. He was killed a week ago by a U.S. bomb. President Obama is expected to deliver a statement from the White House Sunday night to discuss the major development. The announcement comes nearly a decade after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks which started a tireless hunt for the terrorist mastermind and Al Qaeda leader. The U.S. had been waiting for the results of a DNA test to confirm his identity before going public. Sources said the vice president informed congressional leaders late Sunday night that bin Laden had indeed been killed.