A new biography, by the name of ‘The Rise and Fall of Osama Bin Laden’ written by CNN’s national security analyst Peter Bergen claims that CIA got its breakthrough in identifying bin Laden’s location through the washing that was hung out to dry.
Preview essay of Peter Bergen's new book drawn from the Abbottabad files. Looks very interesting, though shows signs of the trouble that sometimes attends document-based work: an assumption they tell the whole story. https://t.co/4pFzkznmcf
— Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) August 2, 2021
CIA agents were able to tail the bodyguard of Osama to his secret compound in Abbottabad. The compound itself was very suspicious as it was located in a quiet neighborhood with unnecessary high wall surrounding the balcony on the top floor.
Additionally, the house had no telephone, TV or internet cables and had unusually less windows. There was little to no movement of the inhabitants outside the house as most of the food consumed like fruits and vegetables was being grown in the compound itself. The hideout was designed to be as self-contained and self-sufficient as possible, to minimize contact with the outside world.
Read more: Osama bin Laden used adult movie collection to send secret messages: report
Agents also noted that most of the rubbish was burned in the house, whereas all the neighbors put their trash out for collection.
However, the final confirmation of bin Laden’s presence was the laundry that was hung out to dry. Through the clothes, the CIA agents were able to confirm that inhabitants of the compound must be comprised of an adult man, several adult women, and at least nine children – a perfect fit for the polygamous patriarch they were seeking.
Although no concrete evidence, such as a picture or witness was ever found of bin Laden, the information collected by the agents was enough to convince Barack Obama who gave the order to conduct the mission.
Read more: How a PAF F-16 almost killed US army officer in Bin Laden raid
And bin Laden was eventually executed in a US military operation in May 2011. He was killed, along with his son, Khalid, his two bodyguards and one of their wives on May 2nd 2011. After the operation, agents recovered 470,000 computer files from a trove of ten hard drives, five computers and around one hundred thumb drives and disks.
In other news
Osama bin Laden’s brother, Ibrahim bin Laden has listed his Bel Air mansion for $28 million.
The mansion, 634 Stone Canyon Road, has been abandoned ever since the 9/11 attacks. It was approximately around $1,653,000 at the time of its purchase, what would be roughly $5.5 million after accounting for 38 years of inflation.
Read more: Face to face with Bin Laden
The mansion spans 7,100 square feet on more than 2 acres of land, and is made up of seven bedrooms and five bathrooms. Although it was built in 1931, several palm trees still continue to survive, and photos show that the swimming pool and spa are also well maintained.