Phone call by Kuwaiti courier led to bin Laden (& waterboarding didn't lead to Kuwaiti courier) [View All]

[Turborama]

Source: AP

(AP) – 21 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — When one of Osama bin Laden's most trusted aides picked up the phone last year, he unknowingly led U.S. pursuers to the doorstep of his boss, the world's most wanted terrorist.

That monitored phone call, recounted Monday by a U.S. official, ended a years-long search for bin Laden's personal courier, the key break in a worldwide manhunt. The courier, in turn, led U.S. intelligence to a walled compound in northeast Pakistan, where a team of Navy SEALs shot bin Laden to death.

=snip=

... in the middle of last year, Ahmed had a telephone conversation with someone being monitored by U.S. intelligence, according to an American official, who like others interviewed for this story spoke only on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive operation. Ahmed was located somewhere away from bin Laden's hideout when he had the discussion, but it was enough to help intelligence officials locate and watch Ahmed.

In August 2010, Ahmed unknowingly led authorities to a compound in the northeast Pakistani town of Abbottabad, where al-Libi had once lived. The walls surrounding the property were as high as 18 feet and topped with barbed wire. Intelligence officials had known about the house for years, but they always suspected that bin Laden would be surrounded by heavily armed security guards. Nobody patrolled the compound in Abbottabad.

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hzn2dQHiUZBXHeHm6Lv78Uz6SwAA?docId=aaf5f9e12731497d8a3147a0e47899d4

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Lots more detail at the link.

It's important to add this section about the role torture didn't play in this, as well (seeing as it's a long article I hope this is OK, as it won't take it over the 25% threshold)...

(Khalid Sheikh) Mohammed did not discuss al-Kuwaiti while being subjected to the simulated drowning technique known as waterboarding, former officials said. He acknowledged knowing him many months later under standard interrogation, they said, leaving it once again up for debate as to whether the harsh technique was a valuable tool or an unnecessarily violent tactic.