Bin Laden’s Compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan

May 3, 2011 in Places

The reported location of the compound housing Osama bin Laden is 2.5 miles (4 km) northeast of the center of Abbottabad and three-quarters of a mile (1.3 km) southwest of the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA). Abbottabad is about 100 miles from the Afghanistan border, where the major searches had taken place). It is on the far eastern side of Pakistan (only about 20 miles from India). Google Earth maps show that the compound was not present in 2001, but was present on images taken in 2005.

Diagram of bin Laden compound released by the Department of Defense.

Comparison of the compound site prior to construction and after the compound's construction released by the Department of Defense.

Photo from March 23, 2001 highlighting the lack of bin Laden's compound.

Photo from June 15, 2005 highlighting the bin Laden Compound with smaller fencing and less fortifications.

Photo from June 15, 2005 demonstrating the proximity of bin Laden's compound to the Pakistan Military Academy.

Photo from January 15, 2011 released by DigitalGlobe with the Bin Laden compound in the center.

Photo from May 2, 2011 with the bin Laden compound at the center released by GeoEye.

A closeup on the bin Laden compound in a post-raid photo from May 2, 2011 released by GeoEye. Notice what appear to be burn marks on the ground at the southern wall of the compound where the fuselage of the U.S. helicopter was initially located.

A photo taken by a local resident and released by the Associated Press. It shows the wreckage of the downed U.S. helicopter next to the southern wall of the compound before it was later removed. Photo originally published by Cryptome.

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