Bin Laden had lived at the fortified compound for six years, officials said, putting him far from the lawless and harsh Pakistani frontier where he had been assumed to be hiding out.

 

The only information about what occurred inside the compound has come from American officials, much of it provided under condition of anonymity.

 

Osama bin Laden's hard drive being examined
One phone call led U.S. to bin Laden doorstep

 

They said SEALs dropped down ropes from helicopters, killed bin Laden aides and made their way to the main building. Obama and his national security team monitored the strike, watching and listening nervously and in near silence from the Situation Room as it all unfolded.