Osama bin Laden in a Pakistan Villa? Source Told Christiane Amanpour in 2008

[steve2470]

http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2011/05/osama-bin-laden-in-a-pakistan-villa-source-told-christiane-amanpour-in-2008.html

ABC News' Christiane Amanpour reports:

Osama bin Laden killed in a Pakistan villa, not in a cave? Who would have thought that?

Actually, that's what a U.S. intelligence officer who had recently left a top position told me about where bin Laden was living back in the fall of 2008.

Of all places, it came up in conversation a few days later when I made an appearance on HBO's "Real Time With Bill Maher." Fellow panelists, actor Alec Baldwin and comedian Gary Shandling, were ribbing me, but I got the information out anyway:

[Dennis Donovan]

1. So, the CIA had an idea he was in a villa in Pakistan back in the fall of 2008???

Back when Bush was still in office ???

[RZM]

2. My guess is that this unnamed source was making an educated guess

And not saying something that reliable intelligence had confirmed. I'll bet that over the years, more than a few people posited that Bin Laden was hiding in a residential area somewhere in Pakistan.

[DJ13]

3. I knda think they've known roughly where he was the last several years

What made the admin decide to get him now is the bigger question.

[Esra Star]

4. It was probably mostly to do with Pakistani politics.

There was always a chance that they would screw up the raid and kill innocent people
and not get their target.
This would give the anti US locals more encouragement to push back.
"and the beat goes on"

[rosesaylavee]

5. Well, that was the return address on his Christmas card. n/t