His two most recent books were exhaustively researched accounts of the CIA and of the bin Laden family.

ECONOMIST: ExxonMobil

Officials compared DNA of the person killed with bin Laden "family DNA, " a senior administration official said, and a senior U.S. defense official said one of bin Laden's wives identified the body to U.S. forces.

CNN: Bin Laden killing caps decade-long manhunt

Meanwhile, Pakistani officials have said bin Laden's family members will be repatriated to their home countries after their initial interrogations.

CNN: U.S. granted access to speak to bin Laden's wives

Pakistani intelligence officials believe this was part of a deal that finally allowed some of bin Laden's family to end their years of house arrest in Iran.

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During this period, Iran allowed in hundreds of senior figures of the Taliban - including family members of Osama Bin Laden.

BBC: Canada train plot: Iran's al-Qaeda problem

The United States, meanwhile, is hoping that Britain's courts will soon agree to extradite a Saudi comrade of Mr bin Laden and fellow-opponent of the Saudi royal family called Khalid al-Fawwaz, as well as two Egyptians suspected of links to al-Qaeda.

ECONOMIST: The al-Qaeda network

Saudi officials had taken the lead back in the 1990s of trying to isolate Mr. bin Laden and limiting his ability to launch attacks against their ruling family and nation.

WSJ: Operation Is Blow to al Qaeda, Taliban