Washington: The mission that killed one of the world's most notorious terrorist leaders was carried out by US forces with the cooperation of Pakistan, US President Barack Obama said on Sunday night.
Osama bin Laden, the longtime leader of al Qaeda, was killed by US forces in a mansion about 100 kilometers, or 62 miles, north of the Pakistani capital of Islamabad along with other family members, a senior US official told CNN.
Members of Pakistan's intelligence service, the ISI, were on site in Abbottabad during the operation, a senior Pakistani intelligence official said.
Bin Laden resisted the assault and was killed in a firefight, senior administration officials said.
The Pakistani intelligence official said he did not know who fired the shot that actually killed the terror mastermind.
US sources including a senior official and a congressional source familiar with the operation said bin Laden was shot in the head.
Three other men were also killed in raid, as was a woman who was being used as a human shield, senior administration officials said.
The US team was at the compound for about 40 minutes, the officials said. There were no casualties on the American side, although a US helicopter crashed during the raid due to mechanical problems. The helicopter was then destroyed for security reasons, senior administration officials said.
A senior administration official told reporters that Obama's administration did not share intelligence gathered beforehand with any other country including Pakistan for security reasons.
The official said only a small group of people inside the US government knew about this operation ahead of time. Another official said a "small US team" was involved in the operation; but the official would not confirm any US military involvement.
However, a senior defense official said US Navy SEALs were involved.
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