Abbottabad

For years, U.S. intelligence officials speculated that Osama bin Laden was hiding out in the nether regions of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. You might imagine remote caves, badlands and jagged rocks. But Abbottabad , in northern Pakistan, where a U.S. special forces team killed Bin Laden early Monday, is more getaway town and less rugged hideout. Situated at an elevation of about 4,100 feet, Abbottabad is a popular summer destination in Pakistan. The town, north of Islamabad and east of Peshawar, experiences cool summers, a major plus in a country where temperatures in some areas routinely exceed 100 degrees in the summer.

How many films about the search for and killing of Osama bin Laden can the market bear? The answer appears to be three - a bad one, a good one and now, a messy but provocative one. National Geographic Channel's docudrama "Seal Team Six" was first out of the Bin Laden box, although its combo of histrionic drama and sketchy intel made for a better headline than film. Kathryn Bigelow's "Zero Dark Thirty," on the other hand, provided a master class in how to turn a crowded, complicated, highly emotional series of events into a beautifully constructed, if factually controversial, story.

Pakistan's top army commanders Thursday acknowledged their country's failure to detect Osama bin Laden's presence in the garrison city of Abbottabad. But they also warned the United States that any future unauthorized raid would trigger a review of military cooperation between the two countries and ordered a cutback in the number of American troops in Pakistan to "the minimum essential. " The army's remarks are its first since U.S. commandos carried out a secret raid early Monday on the compound the Al Qaeda leader used as a hide-out for five years.

SAN FRANCISCO -- In an age of near instant communication, Twitter again became the world's town square as traffic to the service spiked minutes after the deadly Boston Marathon explosions. People rushed to Twitter for real-time information on fatalities and injuries. It was the first to air the news of the explosions at the finish line (10 minutes ahead of cable news) and to break the news of multiple explosions and mass casualties as users posted firsthand accounts and photographs. Foursquare founder and Chief Executive Dennis Crowley, who was running the marathon to raise money for Camp Interactive, a program to expose underprivileged youth to technology, turned to Twitter to let friends and family know he was OK. (He also used it to ask journalists to "leave us alone right now. ")

  Friend. Foe. Or both. Osama bin Laden's use of the military city of Abbottabad as his final hide-out aggravates a familiar suspicion among U.S. policymakers: that Pakistan paints itself as a reliable ally against militants even while officials help some of them behind the scenes when it suits their interest. Pakistan's security establishment and government have always vehemently denied playing such a double game, particularly in the case of Bin Laden and other Al Qaeda figures.

How many films about the search for and killing of Osama bin Laden can the market bear? The answer appears to be three - a bad one, a good one and now, a messy but provocative one. National Geographic Channel's docudrama "Seal Team Six" was first out of the Bin Laden box, although its combo of histrionic drama and sketchy intel made for a better headline than film. Kathryn Bigelow's "Zero Dark Thirty," on the other hand, provided a master class in how to turn a crowded, complicated, highly emotional series of events into a beautifully constructed, if factually controversial, story.

A Navy SEAL who died in a free-fall parachuting accident this week during training exercises in Arizona was identified as Brett David Shadle of Elizabethville, Pa. The accident happened on Thursday near the Pinal Airpark in Marana, Ariz., where military training is frequently conducted. It sent another sailor to the hospital where he remains in stable condition, officials said. Shadle, 31, enlisted in the Navy in 2000 and completed his SEAL training one year later. He was assigned to the Navy's East Coast Special Warfare Unit, according to information provided by Naval Special Warfare Command.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A Pakistani doctor who led a phony vaccination campaign aimed at helping the CIA pinpoint Osama bin Laden's whereabouts was convicted of treason Wednesday and sentenced to 33 years in prison, a decision that is likely to further fray Washington's fragile relations with Islamabad. U.S. officials have been seeking the release of Shakeel Afridi since his arrest by Pakistani authorities after the secret American commando raid that killed the Al Qaeda leader in his sprawling compound in the garrison city of Abbottabad a year ago. In January, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta told CBS' "60 Minutes" that Afridi had provided intelligence that assisted the raid and criticized Pakistan's arrest of someone involved in helping track down the world's most wanted man. From the start, however, Pakistani authorities have regarded Afridi as a traitor and have ignored Washington's calls for his release.

A tweeter who describes himself as "an IT consultant taking a break from the rat-race by hiding in the mountains" in Abbottabad, Pakistan, may have unwittingly covered the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. At about 1 a.m. local time, Sohaib Athar (@ReallyVirtual) tweeted that a helicopter was flying above Abbottabad — " a rare event ," he said. Photo gallery: Reactions to Osama bin Laden death "Go away helicopter - before I take out my giant swatter :-/" he joked . He then reported a "huge window-shaking bang" and said "I hope its not the start of something nasty :-S" Hours later, news broke of Bin Laden's death.

The fog of Abbottabad strikes again. On Tuesday, confusion continued to swirl around Esquire magazine's cover story about the Navy SEAL who killed Osama bin Laden during the instantly legendary May 2011 raid on the terrorist leader's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The article, which was published online Monday, is framed around the premise that the SEAL, dubbed the Shooter, got "nothing" from the government after his retirement, including no healthcare coverage. According to officials and experts, that claim was incorrect : All Iraq and Afghanistan veterans get five years of healthcare benefits after retirement.

A Navy SEAL who died in a free-fall parachuting accident this week during training exercises in Arizona was identified as Brett David Shadle of Elizabethville, Pa. The accident happened on Thursday near the Pinal Airpark in Marana, Ariz., where military training is frequently conducted. It sent another sailor to the hospital where he remains in stable condition, officials said. Shadle, 31, enlisted in the Navy in 2000 and completed his SEAL training one year later. He was assigned to the Navy's East Coast Special Warfare Unit, according to information provided by Naval Special Warfare Command.

The fog of Abbottabad strikes again. On Tuesday, confusion continued to swirl around Esquire magazine's cover story about the Navy SEAL who killed Osama bin Laden during the instantly legendary May 2011 raid on the terrorist leader's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The article, which was published online Monday, is framed around the premise that the SEAL, dubbed the Shooter, got "nothing" from the government after his retirement, including no healthcare coverage. According to officials and experts, that claim was incorrect : All Iraq and Afghanistan veterans get five years of healthcare benefits after retirement.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A Pakistani doctor who led a phony vaccination campaign aimed at helping the CIA pinpoint Osama bin Laden's whereabouts was convicted of treason Wednesday and sentenced to 33 years in prison, a decision that is likely to further fray Washington's fragile relations with Islamabad. U.S. officials have been seeking the release of Shakeel Afridi since his arrest by Pakistani authorities after the secret American commando raid that killed the Al Qaeda leader in his sprawling compound in the garrison city of Abbottabad a year ago. In January, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta told CBS' "60 Minutes" that Afridi had provided intelligence that assisted the raid and criticized Pakistan's arrest of someone involved in helping track down the world's most wanted man. From the start, however, Pakistani authorities have regarded Afridi as a traitor and have ignored Washington's calls for his release.

Whenever Safa sees her father readying the brace, she fidgets and sobs. It's not very comfortable and already too small, but without it the 2-year-old Pakistani girl would crumple to the floor. Safa's right leg is paralyzed, and Tahir Wali now realizes his daughter's plight was wholly avoidable. The girl's grandmother repeatedly turned away polio vaccination teams from the family's front door, convinced that the vaccine sterilizes girls. Like many Pakistanis, she bought into rumors spun by fundamentalist imams who denounce polio vaccination campaigns as a Western plot.

Pakistani officials warned Friday that they could jettison the United States as an ally if American officials continued to accuse Islamabad's intelligence agency of assisting a leading Afghan Taliban group in recent attacks in Afghanistan. Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar cautioned the U.S. against airing allegations such as the blunt charge of collusion between Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency, known as ISI, and the militant Haqqani network made Thursday by Adm. Michael G. Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Two American citizens were charged with illegally lobbying the U.S. government about the territorial dispute over Kashmir without disclosing that they were secretly working for Pakistan's government and being paid by Pakistan's spy service. Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai, 62, who lives in Fairfax, Va., was arrested Tuesday. Authorities were seeking Zaheer Ahmad, 63, who is believed to live in Pakistan. Charged with failing to register as foreign agents, the men could face five years in prison if convicted.

SAN FRANCISCO -- In an age of near instant communication, Twitter again became the world's town square as traffic to the service spiked minutes after the deadly Boston Marathon explosions. People rushed to Twitter for real-time information on fatalities and injuries. It was the first to air the news of the explosions at the finish line (10 minutes ahead of cable news) and to break the news of multiple explosions and mass casualties as users posted firsthand accounts and photographs. Foursquare founder and Chief Executive Dennis Crowley, who was running the marathon to raise money for Camp Interactive, a program to expose underprivileged youth to technology, turned to Twitter to let friends and family know he was OK. (He also used it to ask journalists to "leave us alone right now. ")

Washington's decision to hold back $800 million in military aid to Pakistan probably won't prod Islamabad into clamping down on militancy, and instead could imperil a fragile alliance at a time when the United States needs Pakistan's cooperation in securing a peaceful end to the war in Afghanistan, experts said Monday. The decision to suspend the funding, more than a third of the $2 billion in yearly aid to Pakistan's military, comes amid growing frustration in Washington over Islamabad's refusal to pursue Afghan Taliban militants who launch attacks on U.S. and North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces in Afghanistan from strongholds in Pakistan.

Washington's decision to hold back $800 million in military aid to Pakistan probably won't prod Islamabad into clamping down on militancy, and instead could imperil a fragile alliance at a time when the United States needs Pakistan's cooperation in securing a peaceful end to the war in Afghanistan, experts said Monday. The decision to suspend the funding, more than a third of the $2 billion in yearly aid to Pakistan's military, comes amid growing frustration in Washington over Islamabad's refusal to pursue Afghan Taliban militants who launch attacks on U.S. and North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces in Afghanistan from strongholds in Pakistan.

Facing domestic political pressure, Pakistan's government escalated the war of words with the United States, with its defense minister repeating calls for the U.S. to stop using a remote air base for drone strikes and to vacate the base. Relations between the two uneasy allies have been on a downward slide for months, but deteriorated after the May 2 raid by U.S. SEALs in Abbottabad that killed Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden's presence in a military town less than a kilometer from Pakistan's version of West Point reinforced suspicion in the United States that elements of Pakistan's security establishment may have helped hide him. Wednesday's remarks by Defense Minister Ahmed Mukhtar that the U.S. had been asked to vacate Shamsi Air Base, in the remote southwest part of the country, was the latest salvo as the two countries tussle over their interests in an Afghanistan settlement and the Pakistani government seeks to publicly distance itself from Washington.