Reportage Security

One Night In Abbottabad

An inside view of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden

01 July 2017
Intelligence materials compiled before the raid included models of the Abbottabad compound and identifying information on its inhabitants.
COURTESY CATHY SCOTT-CLARK
Intelligence materials compiled before the raid included models of the Abbottabad compound and identifying information on its inhabitants.
COURTESY CATHY SCOTT-CLARK

1 May 2011

Bilal Town, Abbottabad, Pakistan

After eating dinner and clearing away the plates, Osama bin Laden’s family prayed, before he and Amal—his fourth and youngest wife—went to bed. Amal carried two-year-old Hussein, their youngest son, while Osama cradled his Quran. By 11 pm, the emir of Al Qaeda was deep in sleep in his compound nestled in the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad. Outside, the streets were plunged into darkness as the electricity went out all over the city.

Cathy Scott-Clark and Adrian Levy are award-winning investigative journalists. They are based in London, and have worked for the Sunday Times and The Guardian. Their books include The Siege: 68 Hours Inside the Taj Hotel and The Meadow: Kashmir 1995—Where the Terror Began.

Keywords: united states Pakistan ISI Osama bin Laden Abbottabad Al-Qaeda raid
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