Bin Laden nearly slipped out of Abbottabad: CIA report

WASHINGTON: A decade after the operation that killed Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, a fresh Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) account reveals that the Al Qaeda leader nearly slipped out of his hideout months before the US raid.

The CIA’s official record, updated with newly posted documents and released on Friday, shows that Bin Laden was actively planning to leave his hideout in Abbottabad months before the American operation, while simultaneously continuing to direct al-Qaeda operations from within the compound.

According to letters recovered from the compound, Bin Laden had agreed in writing to a relocation plan after sustained pressure from the two brothers who had sheltered him for years.

On Jan 14, 2011, he wrote a formal letter acknowledging tensions and expressing gratitude to the brothers for bearing what he described as the “heavy burden” of their “huge responsibility” for his safety.

In another letter dated February 2, 2011, Bin Laden confirmed that the brothers had “for a long time demanded separation from us” and were “exhausted” by the arrangement.

He agreed to retire from the task and hand over his concealment to others, with a planned move and changeover targeted for September 2011.

The CIA notes that this relocation plan was entirely unknown to US intelligence at the time. Officials reviewing the compound believed the situation to be stable, unaware that Bin Laden’s departure was already being prepared.

“Had the decision to conduct the raid been delayed, this story might have had a very different ending,” the CIA observed.

The documents further reject the notion that Bin Laden had become merely a symbolic figure by the time of his death.

The CIA states that he remained deeply involved in operational planning, providing strategic, operational, and tactical instructions to al-Qaeda. Far from being a figurehead, he remained in charge while in hiding, shaping the group’s direction, communications, and priorities.

The path to Abbottabad began long before the raid itself. Following the September 11, 2001, attacks, CIA-led intelligence efforts focused on individuals linked to Bin Laden’s network.

A key breakthrough came from tracking a trusted courier, identified only by his kunya (operational pseudonym). It took years before this alias could be linked to a real identity.

By August 2010, intelligence had connected the courier to a compound in Abbottabad, a town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The CIA assessed the compound as highly unusual. It had high walls topped with barbed wire, double-entry gates, opaque windows, no visible internet or telephone connections, and all trash was burned rather than collected. The two registered owners also appeared to have no visible source of income to justify such a large residence.

These factors led intelligence analysts to assess that the compound was likely being used to conceal Bin Laden, as well as the courier.

Once the target was identified, preparations intensified. The CIA-led operation included the construction of a full-scale life-size replica of the compound, with movable interior walls to simulate possible layouts and prepare assault teams for any internal configuration.

The raid was authorised by US President Barack Obama on April 29, 2011, as a carefully calibrated surgical operation designed to minimise civilian casualties, reduce risk to noncombatants in the compound and surrounding area, and increase the likelihood of confirming Bin Laden’s identity.

On May 2, 2011, US special operations helicopters departed from Afghanistan and arrived at the Abbottabad compound at about 12:30am Pakistan time. One helicopter crashed on arrival, but the assault continued without delay.

Bin Laden was located on the third floor and was killed within about nine minutes of engagement. His body was then moved to the first floor and secured.

Assault teams recovered a large cache of documents and digital material from the compound for intelligence analysis. A backup helicopter extracted remaining personnel and materials, while the crashed helicopter was destroyed on site.

President Obama, monitoring the operation from the Situation Room, received real-time updates throughout the raid, including tentative confirmation of Bin Laden’s identity, followed by further verification later.

Bin Laden’s identity was confirmed through multiple independent methods after the operation.

The CIA describes the raid as a surgical operation designed to limit collateral damage and ensure accurate identification under controlled conditions.

The intelligence haul recovered from the compound was later analysed by a multi-agency task force led by the CIA. The material provided insights into al-Qaeda’s operations, internal communications, affiliates, and future intentions.

The CIA timeline also records that Bin Laden’s body was later buried at sea from the USS Carl Vinson in the north Arabian Sea on May 2, 2011.

The CIA concludes that Bin Laden’s death marked a major milestone in the US-led campaign against al-Qaeda. He was described as the organisation’s founder and only Amir, central to its identity, fundraising capacity, and global operational focus.

The agency emphasises that the mission’s success resulted from years of sustained intelligence work after 9/11, coordinated across the Intelligence Community and military partners.

“The CIA was at the centre of it all,” the report states, highlighting its role in driving intelligence collection, analysis, and operational assessment that led to Abbottabad.