’The minutes passed like days’

Say officials who were with US President Barack Obama while he watched the raid in 'real time' that led to the death of Osama bin Laden

'The minutes passed like days'

Say officials who were with US President Barack Obama while he watched the raid in 'real time' that led to the death of Osama bin Laden

Like a page plucked from a Hollywood screenplay, Obama and other principal coordinators for the mission that killed Osama bin Laden convened in order to remotely monitor the situation, John Brennan, the US counterterrorism chief, said in a White House news briefing.

Anxious moments: President Obama watches the mission unfold at the
White House along with (left) Vice President Joe Biden, and (second right)
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. pic/afp

Obama arrived after many of the mission's leaders had assembled there, but the president joined before the attack on bin Laden's mansion in Abbottabad, Pakistan, began, Brennan said.

"We were able to monitor on a real-time basis the progress of the operation, from its commencement, to its time on target, to the extraction of the remains," Brennan said. "We were able to have regular updates to ensure that we had real-time visibility into the progress of the operation."

u00a0The White House and Central Intelligence Agency didn't have access to a live audio feed, but they were able to tap other communications, said a US official.

There was some live video, though the official declined to elaborate on the nature of that footage.

The CIA had led the bin Laden attack operation, and officials had access to live video of the raid, the report said.

Brennan declined to say whether they had access to a video feed or radio communications. White House officials did not comment on the issue

"We have rid the world of the most infamous terrorist of our time," CIA Director Leon Panettau00a0 said in a statement. "We gave President Obama accurate, relevant, timely intelligence ufffd providing the information and insight they needed at key points as this mission developed."

"It was probably one of the most anxiety-filled periods, in the lives of the people who were assembled," Brennan said.

"The minutes passed like days, and the president was very concerned about the security of personnel. That was what was on his mind throughout."

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