Bloomberg is reporting that the compound where bin Laden was killed was built five years ago for the purpose of harboring him.
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The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to
discuss the planning of the raid, said the Abbottabad compound
was valued at about $1 million and was built roughly 5 years ago
for the purpose of harboring bin Laden. At the time it was
built, the building was isolated at the end of a narrow dirt
road, but over the years other residences have been built near
it, the officials said. </p>
The three-story main house was protected by security walls
as high as 18 feet and topped with barbed wire, the officials
said. Access was restricted by two security gates and residents
burned their trash instead of leaving it out for collection like
the other homes in the neighborhood. There were no phone or
Internet connections, according to the officials. </p>
Altaf Khan, 35, a resident of the street where Bin Laden
was killed, said the house where he lived was built in 2005 and
looked like a fort. There were closed-circuit cameras all around
it and the women living inside the house used to speak in
Arabic, he said at his house. </p>