U.S. Raid Killed Bin Laden (Updated)

A small, elite team of U.S. forces killed Osama bin Laden Sunday in a firefight during a "surgical" and "especially dangerous" helicopter raid on a protected compound in the affluent Pakistani city of Abbottabad, senior administration officials told reporters in the wee hours Monday following President Obama's Sunday-night announcement of the killing.

Senior administration officials declined to clarify whether the American personnel involved were U.S. military forces, although officials noted the intelligence community and the Pentagon worked together to plan the mission.

Senior administration officials provided only a few details of the raid, which they said lasted about 40 minutes. The "extraordinarily unique" compound where bin Laden was killed, worth about $1 million, is roughly eight times larger than other nearby homes, with 12- to 18-foot walls equipped with barbed wire, internal security walls, few windows and no phone or Internet connection, officials said.

U.S. officials believe the compound was built in 2005 to hide bin Laden, though they said it is unclear how long he had been living there. Before the operation, administration officials had high confidence that the compound harbored a high-value terrorist target, very likely bin Laden.

Bin Laden died after resisting the assault force, officials said, noting U.S. forces now have his body and will treat it consistent with Islamic traditions. Officials said two of bin Laden's couriers and another man, perhaps one of bin Laden's sons, were also killed along with a woman who was used as a human shield. One helicopter suffered a mechanical failure during the operation, but U.S. forces were able to depart in another helicopter, officials said.

The death of bin Laden is the culmination of years of work by the U.S. government. Prior to the operation, the intelligence community gathered data on bin Laden's personal couriers using information from detainees, officials said. One courier in particular had the constant attention of U.S. intelligence officials. For years, U.S. officials were unable to identify his true name or location, but four years ago they uncovered his identity and about two years ago they found areas where the courier and his brother operated, an official said. Still, they were unable to pinpoint where the couriers lived. Last August, U.S. officials found the couriers' residence in the compound about 35 miles from Islamabad in the relatively affluent Abbottabad, the official added.

The administration began planning the mission last year, officials recounted. By mid-February of this year, officials decided there was a sound intelligence basis for pursuing bin Laden at this location. By mid March, Obama began chairing at least five National Security Council meetings on this effort, an official said. No intelligence related to the mission was shared with Pakistan or other countries in advance of the operation, officials said, noting only a very small number of people in the U.S. government knew of the operation in advance.

UPDATE 2 p.m.: U.S. Government Graphics Of Osama Bin Laden Compound