Osama Bin Laden Killed

[لني]

Pakistan in denial.

From Foreignpolicy.com

Osama bin Who?

A decade of denials and downplaying from Pakistani leaders.

BY CHARLES HOMANS, JOSHUA KEATING, DAVID KENNER | MAY 2, 2011

Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. special forces on Sunday in the resort town of Abbottabad, just two hours from the Pakistani capital. This ended a nearly decade-long manhunt for the 9/11 mastermind as well a decade of dubious denials from Pakistani leaders that he could possibly be in their country.

Husain Haqqani, Pakistan's ambassador to the United States

"Pakistan's Ambassador to the US Hussain Haqqani rejected a NATO official's claim on Monday that al Qaeda Chief Osama bin Laden is living comfortably in a house in the northwest of Pakistan, saying there was no basis to it. 'This is speculation because if he knew it, it would be actionable intelligence and we would act on it.'"

Speaking to CNN on Oct. 20, 2010, Ambassador Haqqani also slammed those insinuating that there might be some link between Pakistan's intelligence services and al Qaeda: "If anybody who thinks that Pakistan or any other state, for that matter, has any interest in protecting bin Laden, who has brought nothing but mayhem to the world, is smoking something they shouldn't be smoking."

Following the news of bin Laden's capture, Haqqani defended Pakistan's inability to locate the terror chief, even as he resided right under its military's nose, by referring to one of the United States' most notorious law enforcement failures:  "If Whitey Bulger can live undetected by American police for so long, why can't Osama bin Laden live undetected by Pakistani authorities?" he wondered.

Asif Ali Zardari, president of Pakistan

"The Americans tell me they don't know, and they are much more equipped than us to trace him. And our own intelligence services obviously think that he does not exist any more, that he is dead.... The question is whether he is alive or dead. There is no trace of him." - Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari to reporters, April 28, 2009.

President Zardari often downplayed the existence of Osama bin Laden, claiming that his country had no information regarding the whereabouts of the al Qaeda leader. And it appears that even when U.S. intelligence assets finally did amass information regarding bin Laden, they weren't inclined to share: Though in his late-night speech President Barack Obama thanked the government of Pakistan for their assistance in the killing of Osama bin Laden, Pakistan's intelligence services were not kept in the loop regarding the impending operation. Obama telephoned Zardari shortly after the operation was completed, but the president has not yet commented publicly on bin Laden's killing.

Yousuf Raza Gilani, prime minister of Pakistan

"I doubt the information which you are giving is correct because I don't think Osama bin Laden is in Pakistan." - Press conference with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Dec. 3, 2009

Gilani's statement came in response to a suggestion by Brown that Pakistan's government was not doing enough to hunt down senior al Qaeda leaders. Gilani followed up on the remarks in an interview with the Guardian saying, "If they [the U.S. and British intelligence services] have any credible or actionable information, they can share it and we can act on it." Gilani, however now seems happy to jump on the bandwagon, called bin Laden's killing a "great victory" for Pakistan. "We will not allow our soil to be used against any other country for terrorism," said Gilani.

Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Pakistani army chief

"[u.S. Sen. Joe] Lieberman then asked about the status of the search for Osama bin Laden and [Ayman] al-Zawahiri. It was unjust to criticize Pakistan for not locating these men, asserted Kayani, and he would place Pakistan's track record in pursuing and capturing al-Qaida operatives up against any other country's." - State Department cable sent from the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad on Jan. 11, 2008, obtained by WikiLeaks.

Since Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI) falls under the authority of the country's military leaders, top army official Ashfaq Parvez Kayani presumably would have known as much about bin Laden's whereabouts as anyone in the Pakistani government. But if he did have an inkling as to where the terrorist leader was hiding, he wasn't telling anyone in the U.S. government, preferring instead to talk loosely about the army's "successes" against al Qaeda. Adding to the embarrassment, the New York Times reports that just last month, Kayani had visited a military academy in Abbottabad, the town in which bin Laden was found and killed on May 1. There, Kayani "proclaimed that Pakistan had 'cracked' the forces of terrorism, an assessment that was greeted with skepticism in Washington."

Pervez Musharraf, former president of Pakistan

"I think now, frankly, he is dead for the reason he is a ... kidney patient.... I don't know if he has been getting all that treatment in Afghanistan now. And the photographs that have been shown of him on television show him extremely weak.... I would give the first priority that he is dead and the second priority that he is alive somewhere in Afghanistan." -Interview with CNN. January 18, 2002

Throughout his tenure, the former Pakistani president repeatedly denied or downplayed reports that bin Laden was hiding in his country. Musharraf's oft-stated opinion was that whether or not bin Laden was still at large "doesn't mean much" -- the threat to his regime from Taliban-linked militants in the country's northwest was much greater. In a 2010 interview after he had left office, Musharraf wouldn't say for sure whether he would have handed bin Laden over to the United States, calling it a "difficult question of answer" because of the "great sensitivities" surrounding the al Qaeda leader.

Responding today to the news of bin Laden's death, the former president called it a "positive step," but criticized the United States for violating Pakistani sovereignty in the operation. "It's a violation to have crossed Pakistan's borders," he said. 

Rehman Malik, interior minister of Pakistan

"Representative Giffords asked Malik whether he had information about the whereabouts of Osama in Laden. Malik responded that he ‘had no clue,' but added that he did not believe that in Laden is in the area. Bin Laden sent his family to Iran, so it makes sense that he might have gone there himself, Malik argued. Alternatively, he might be hiding in Saudi Arabia or Yemen, or perhaps he is already dead, he added."- State Department cable, Sept. 7, 2009, meeting between Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik and U.S. congressional delegation.

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), who would herself become the victim of a brutal shooting in January, tried to pin down Pakistan's interior minister about bin Laden's whereabouts in a September 2009 meeting, according to a State Department cable released by WikiLeaks. Malik deflected the inquiry, suggesting that bin Laden might have moved on or was already dead.

But that's not the only time that Malik shot his mouth off about bin Laden. "I categorically deny the presence of Osama bin Laden, his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri, and even Mullah Omar in any part of Pakistan," he also said.

Farhatullah Babar, Zardari spokesman:

"If there were officials who knew where bin Laden was, I can assure you that he would not be a free man. The fact is that at the moment we don't even know if he's alive or dead." - The Daily Telegraph, May 11, 2010

Babar was responding to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's claim that the Pakistanis knew more about bin Laden's whereabouts than they were letting on: "I'm not saying that they're at the highest levels," said Clinton in a CBS News interview, "but I believe that somewhere in this government are people who know where Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda is, where Mullah Omar and the leadership of the Afghan Taliban is, and we expect more cooperation to help us bring to justice, capture or kill those who attacked us on 9/11."

[لني]

Videos confirm the hard knock life of Osama bin Laden during his time on the run

NYTimes.com

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration on Saturday released five videos recovered from Osama bin Laden‘s hide-out in Abbottabad, Pakistan, that an intelligence official said showed the Qaeda founder threatening the United States, condemning capitalism and at some points flubbing his lines and missing a cue. In the most candid scenes, Bin Laden can be seen watching news coverage of himself on television.

In messages released to his followers, Osama bin Laden has a dark beard. In other videos found at the compound, it is gray.

The videos, which were made public without sound to avoid disseminating terrorist messages, were the first materials to be released from what an American intelligence official described as the “single largest collection of senior terrorist materials ever.” The trove, which includes hundreds of computer file storage devices, hard drives, videos, documents and personal papers, was seized by the United States assault team that killed Bin Laden early last Monday.

The administration released the videos in part to promote an intelligence triumph but also to try to further diminish the legacy and appeal of Bin Laden. The intelligence official who briefed reporters at an unusual Pentagon news conference on Saturday took pains to point out that Bin Laden, who was 54 when he was killed, had dyed his white beard black for his appearances in the videos — suggesting vanity or at least a desire to appear younger in videos made for distribution to his followers around the world.

“He took very seriously and engaged heavily in Al Qaeda propaganda operations,” said the official, who asked not to be named because of ground rules imposed by the administration. “Our takeaway is that he jealously guarded his own image.”

The official said the administration released the videos without sound to avoid the untenable scenario of the Obama administration effectively broadcasting a Bin Laden message of terrorism and anti-Americanism after his death. But the lack of sound prevented an independent assessment of Bin Laden’s actual words, phrasing and tone.

The most revealing video shows Bin Laden sitting on the floor of a small room, wrapped in a blanket as he watched news clips about himself on television. In the video, which shows an old television set with a tangle of power cords running into a control box, Bin Laden appeared to be flipping through channels on the menu screen of a satellite TV service. A rendering of Bin Laden’s compound released by the administration last week showed at least one satellite dish on top of a building within its walls.

The intelligence official said analysts had not yet determined when or where the video of Bin Laden watching himself on television was recorded. But since one of the images flickering on Bin Laden’s screen was of President Obama, the video appeared to date from sometime after January 2009, when Mr. Obama was inaugurated. The video was likely recorded in Bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, where he lived from 2005 until his death.

Two of the videos consisted of outtakes from Bin Laden’s recorded messages to his followers — one in which the intelligence official said Bin Laden was misspeaking and having to start over and another in which he was said to miss a cue. The official said that in those videos, Bin Laden’s beard had been dyed black to make him appear younger. The video of him watching television, however, shows him with a mostly white beard.

The official said that Bin Laden’s concern about his appearance suggested that he was intensely interested in the image he presented to his supporters, and that he was deeply immersed in the propaganda efforts of Al Qaeda. That view contrasts sharply with earlier theories that he had become a marginal character who served as a figurehead for the terrorist group.

Echoing assessments by the Central Intelligence Agency last week, the official described the Bin Laden compound as a “command and control center” for Al Qaeda, where Bin Laden not only plotted attacks but was also deeply involved in directing the operations of Qaeda lieutenants. Those assessments differ sharply from previous views of intelligence officials, who had come to believe that Bin Laden was more of a figurehead.

[lateralus]

Well, first of all.....there were body guards.

Read every report regarding the incident.

And then......even if there was oneperson, or a single person out of the entire inhabitants of that compound that fired a shot at the SEALS.....it was going to give the SEALS the authorisation to 'kill on sight'.

The rules of engagement are set by the ruling military officer. They are followed, in mosy circumstances, to a tee, beause they allow for soldiers to be subject to military law, if the rules of engagement aren't followed.

In this case, from all reports, the rules of engagement were to kill or capture Bin Laden, by all means necessary.

As soon as one guy, or bodyguard fired back.....it was on.

The SEALS took no prisoners.

Now, do you understand the term 'take no prisoners' ???

It's not a video game...real life...it has a lot of consequences, for the living, and apparently for the dead.

When you go into a situation like SEAL TEAM 6 did....it's kill or be killed....and they did "a heckuca job....Brownie".

[Bill Sikes]

.

[Sharpshooter]

But there were prisoners taken.

[lateralus]

It was a figure of speech.

[EmployeeoftheMonth]

Friggin nonsense from another nonsensical conspiracy website.

How do they explain that Osama's wife lived with OBL for 5-6 years in the compound in Abbottabad and was an eye witness to the moment of his death?? Was it a body double? Was it an alien body double???

[Sharpshooter]

Transvestite nazi alien body double who happens to also be the great granddaughter of the man who shot from the grassy knoll.

Did I mention she's also a Bilderberg who once visited the Denver airport??

[Sharpshooter]

[EmployeeoftheMonth]

No...no you didn't, but that explains a lot about her.

I've had my suspicions about her for some time now.

[Sharpshooter]

The real reason they won't release the photos is because OBL is arse up and he has a tattoo that says "FREEMAS" on his left cheek and "NS 4 LiFe" on the other.

[EmployeeoftheMonth]

You're such an anus.

[JAH]

And then......even if there was oneperson, or a single person out of the entire inhabitants of that compound that fired a shot at the SEALS.....it was going to give the SEALS the authorisation to 'kill on sight'.

[avelanch]

Friggin nonsense from another nonsensical conspiracy website.

How do they explain that Osama's wife lived with OBL for 5-6 years in the compound in Abbottabad and was an eye witness to the moment of his death?? Was it a body double? Was it an alien body double???

[Wetcoaster]

Pakistan goes on the offensive against US claims that there was some combination of military, government or security agencies protecting Osama bin Laden.

So there was no official Pakistan complicity... Pakistan was simply incompetent. Got it.

Pakistan's prime minister responded angrily Monday to suggestions by President Barack Obama that elements of his government or intelligence agencies had acted as a support network for Osama bin Laden.

Yusuf Raza Gilani dismissed the allegations as "absurd". His government has faced intense questions during the past week about how the most wanted man in history had hidden in plain sight, only 30 miles from the capital Islamabad.

In an address to the National Assembly, designed to restore some dignity to a nation embarrassed at how easily bin Laden evaded capture, he defended the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) spy agency.

He admitted there had been a failure of intelligence but said it had been a failure by "all the intelligence agencies of the world".

"It is disingenuous for anyone to blame Pakistan or state institutions of Pakistan including the ISI and the armed forces for being in cahoots with al-Qaida," he said in one of a series of veiled swipes at the United States.

"It was al-Qaida and its affiliates that carried out hundreds of suicide bombings in nearly every town and city of Pakistan and also targeted political leaders, state institutions, the ISI and the General Headquarters."

He said Pakistani agents had passed on intelligence to their American counterparts which had ultimately helped to track down the al-Qaida leader.

However, he ordered an investigation into how the al-Qaida leader could have lived for five years in Abbottabad, a town known for its military training academy.

On Sunday, Mr Obama had raised the question of Pakistani government officials helping hide bin Laden.

"We don't know whether there might have been some people inside of government, people outside of government, and that's something that we have to investigate and, more importantly, the Pakistani government has to investigate," he said, provoking anger among Pakistan's politicians and military officials.

The White House also called on Islamabad to help to counter growing mistrust by granting U.S. investigators access to three of bin Laden's widows, who are in custody in Pakistan.

Critics in Pakistan want to know how American helicopters were able to cross the border and fly undetected to Abbottabad. The country's military were alerted only when one of the helicopters crashed in bin Laden's compound.

Opposition leaders, including Imran Khan, the former cricket captain who is now a politician, have demanded the resignations of both prime minister and president for the apparent lapses.

The breach of air defences is acutely embarrassing for Pakistan's military and intelligence establishment. Its reputation for brutal efficiency is both feared and respected by a population suspicious of Indian designs on its territory.

Mr Gilani insisted that the nation remained in safe hands.

Hundreds of Taliban rallied in the Pakistani tribal town of Wana Monday, condemning the killing of bin Laden and promising revenge against both Washington and Islamabad. It was the first pro-bin Laden demonstration in Pakistan's tribal belt, which Washington has called the headquarters of al-Qaida.

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Pakistan+hits+back+Obama+over+accusation+Laden/4747472/story.html#ixzz1Lt3LxDnG

[Marty4Ever]

One thing, Pres Obama is looked upon in USA as the second coming of Jimmy Carter. Whacking ObL is the best thing, the only good thing he's done since getting into office. Failing on this would've been insurance to him going only one term.

Had ObL been living with a bunch of visible guards, he'd have stuck out. But having that Pakistani military base close by, he did have plenty of friends willing to die for him at a moments notice.

Raise my imported Canadian beer for Special Forces; especially the SEALs. The worst thing about that op is that more new stealth tech from Skunk Works & Area 51 will end up in Red China. Why didn't they have B-2's orbiting & then level the place? We can't buy tickets & tour the site so why leave it standing?

Americans deserved to see ObL sporting a JFK hairdo, yeah that's right, top of his head blown off. How many innocent citizens did we watch jump out of windows & then listen to them thump below?!! That good enough reason? We got to see a dead Udey, Qusay, and even Saddam get hanged, but not this photo? What bs! I don't think the Russians would have been so PC toward this; Putin would've shown that pic. If we can't see a dead ObL, then why show Hiroshima being lit up come that anniversary? A dead bin Ladin would've been understood & a clear message.

Wonder what product ObL was using to keep his beard black?

As for the wife? Who cares. Unless the SEALs talk, we'll never know what happened. But I bet if that chopper hadn't been lost she'd be permanent vacationing in Gitmo right now.

[avelanch]

Pictures of 3 of the men in the compound, and some of the wreckage of the ultra-secret stealth copter that went down can be seen here:

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/05/04/bin.laden.compound/index.html

if they can show that, then I don't see why they won't show OBL. They'll release soon I'd think.

[Marty4Ever]

Pakistan goes on the offensive against US claims that there was some combination of military, government or security agencies protecting Osama bin Laden.

So there was no official Pakistan complicity... Pakistan was simply incompetent. Got it.

Pakistan's prime minister responded angrily Monday to suggestions by President Barack Obama that elements of his government or intelligence agencies had acted as a support network for Osama bin Laden.

Yusuf Raza Gilani dismissed the allegations as "absurd". His government has faced intense questions during the past week about how the most wanted man in history had hidden in plain sight, only 30 miles from the capital Islamabad.

In an address to the National Assembly, designed to restore some dignity to a nation embarrassed at how easily bin Laden evaded capture, he defended the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) spy agency.

He admitted there had been a failure of intelligence but said it had been a failure by "all the intelligence agencies of the world".

"It is disingenuous for anyone to blame Pakistan or state institutions of Pakistan including the ISI and the armed forces for being in cahoots with al-Qaida," he said in one of a series of veiled swipes at the United States.

"It was al-Qaida and its affiliates that carried out hundreds of suicide bombings in nearly every town and city of Pakistan and also targeted political leaders, state institutions, the ISI and the General Headquarters."

He said Pakistani agents had passed on intelligence to their American counterparts which had ultimately helped to track down the al-Qaida leader.

However, he ordered an investigation into how the al-Qaida leader could have lived for five years in Abbottabad, a town known for its military training academy.

On Sunday, Mr Obama had raised the question of Pakistani government officials helping hide bin Laden.

"We don't know whether there might have been some people inside of government, people outside of government, and that's something that we have to investigate and, more importantly, the Pakistani government has to investigate," he said, provoking anger among Pakistan's politicians and military officials.

The White House also called on Islamabad to help to counter growing mistrust by granting U.S. investigators access to three of bin Laden's widows, who are in custody in Pakistan.

Critics in Pakistan want to know how American helicopters were able to cross the border and fly undetected to Abbottabad. The country's military were alerted only when one of the helicopters crashed in bin Laden's compound.

Opposition leaders, including Imran Khan, the former cricket captain who is now a politician, have demanded the resignations of both prime minister and president for the apparent lapses.

The breach of air defences is acutely embarrassing for Pakistan's military and intelligence establishment. Its reputation for brutal efficiency is both feared and respected by a population suspicious of Indian designs on its territory.

Mr Gilani insisted that the nation remained in safe hands.

Hundreds of Taliban rallied in the Pakistani tribal town of Wana Monday, condemning the killing of bin Laden and promising revenge against both Washington and Islamabad. It was the first pro-bin Laden demonstration in Pakistan's tribal belt, which Washington has called the headquarters of al-Qaida.

http://www.vancouver...l#ixzz1Lt3LxDnG

[Truculence]

Pictures of 3 of the men in the compound, and some of the wreckage of the ultra-secret stealth copter that went down can be seen here:

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/05/04/bin.laden.compound/index.html

if they can show that, then I don't see why they won't show OBL. They'll release soon I'd think.

[JAH]

Pictures of 3 of the men in the compound, and some of the wreckage of the ultra-secret stealth copter that went down can be seen here:

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/05/04/bin.laden.compound/index.html

if they can show that, then I don't see why they won't show OBL. They'll release soon I'd think.