Locals witnessed the US military helicopters carrying out the operation, though they were mystified by news of its target. "We saw four helicopters at around 2am. We were told to switch off lights of our homes and stay inside", said a Jaffar Ali, a government employee, who lives in Bilal town in Abbottabad district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. He also said he had seen the wreckage of the helicopter that had suffered a malfunction and was then destroyed by US forces. The house is located near the Pakistan Military Academy, one of the country's premiere military institutions where local security is extremely tight. "Army has cordoned off three kilometer road with barbed wires and on Monday morning only schoolchildren and government employees were allowed to go outside of their homes for duties", said Anwar Shah, a police officer. Still the residents of Bilal Town and the adjacent Hashmi Colony were gripped by extreme fear of military action as Abbottabad is regarded as one of the peaceful cities in the violence-wracked Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Police officer Javid Akram said he could not imagine that Osama bin Laden would take up rsidency in the town. "It is all surprising that how he reached here and for how long he was here", he said. Police officer Anwar Shah said Pakistan's army was still busy in conducting search operation in the area.
