CIA team searches Osama’s Pakistan mansion
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A team of officials from US spy agency CIA flew to Abbottabad near the Pakistani capital and searched the mansion where Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was killed in a secret mission earlier this month, a media report said on Saturday.
The CIA investigators visited the compound on Friday after flying in on a helicopter, sources told The Nation daily. Witnesses said the helicopter flew in at around 12.45 PM. Amid tight security in the area. Media was denied access to the compound. Osama was shot dead May 2 by heavily-armed US Navy SEALs who stormed the high-walled hideout located a short distance away from the Pakistan Military Academy.
The US commandos had managed to collect some documents and computer hardware during the 40-minute assault. CNN earlier reported that the CIA wanted to go back to the hideout to see if other material could be found. The team also wanted to take a close look at the house to learn more about Osama's stay there, an official said. The police and intelligence sources on Friday confirmed that a group of "special guests" made their way to the compound in two double-cabin cars with a heavy security cordon.
The surrounding area was abuzz with security personnel, with armed men standing on guard on roof tops and manning check points. The CIA investigators spent around four hours at the compound before flying back around 5 00 PM. The visit was a step towards cooperation amid intense US diplomatic efforts to mend strained relations with Pakistan in the aftermath of the Abbottabad raid.
The CIA has also been granted access to materials that Pakistani security forces recovered from the compound. Pakistan acceded several days ago to a request by the US to search the mansion. The agreement was reached by CIA deputy director Michael Morell and the Pakistani Government, CNN said.
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