Page 29 - August 2010 News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

>> s.e.a.l.s would rather die than be captured. >> at the end of the day it was a leap of faith. >> reporter: friday, april 29, just after 8:20 a.m., the mission begins. the president gives the go. >> the president, after a long night's sleep, basically came in and immediately told the staff, "you've got the green light." let's go. >> reporter: as president obama departs for the tornado-ravaged south, the u.s. military's best-kept secret is under way. >> the troops were ready and in place. the equipment was ready to go. the plan had been practiced again and again and again. >> report...

You start to think maybe we do have something of real importance. it was thrown out in ksm, it was not understood that the courier was that important. 2003, we are working around the alias name. it was not until 2007, that we got the real name of the individual and then it took two more years, 2009, until we had a general region where we felt that this individual existed. the keys that we are putting together, it is an eight year process and not like a week or so they think they found bin laden's compound. >> it took all of that time. 2009, a region and august 2010, we identified the compound....

You start to think maybe we do have something of real importance. it was thrown out in ksm, it was not understood that the courier was that important. 2003, we are working around the alias name. it was not until 2007, that we got the real name of the individual and then it took two more years, 2009, until we had a general region where we felt that this individual existed. the keys that we are putting together, it is an eight year process and not like a week or so they think they found bin laden's compound. >> it took all of that time. 2009, a region and august 2010, we identified the compound....

You start to think maybe we do have something of real importance. it was thrown out in ksm, it was not understood that the courier was that important. 2003, we are working around the alias name. it was not until 2007, that we got the real name of the individual and then it took two more years, 2009, until we had a general region where we felt that this individual existed. the keys that we are putting together, it is an eight year process and not like a week or so they think they found bin laden's compound. >> it took all of that time. 2009, a region and august 2010, we identified the compound....

Piece of information. >> reporter: in 2007 the cia learned the man's name of abu ahmad al kuwaiti. pakistanis provide some information but the u.s. won't say what it was. by 2009, the cia knows the general area in pakistan where the courier is living. once they even spot him on the street. in august 2010, they learned the courier and his brother are living at this compound but something isn't wrong. why do they need 18-foot tall walls, security gates, a million dollar mansion? by late 2010 the u.s. is watching the compound around the clock. overhead satellites keep an eye it and telephone conv...