http://www.rightsidenews.com/2011050313424/world/terrorism/was-osama-killed-in-an-isi-safehouse.htmlWas Osama Killed in an ISI Safehouse?
Monday, 02 May 2011 19:29 Memri
Print
Indian Media Reports on Osama bin Laden's Killing: 'Osama was Killed in an ISI Safehouse'; 'Finger of Suspicion at ISI'; 'More Shame... Heading ISI's Way'
Quoting Pakistani officials, a number of media reports state that Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden could not have hidden in the Pakistani town of Abbottabad (where he was killed) without the knowledge of the Pakistani military, especially its powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
3799The website of the leading Indian weekly magazine India Today published a report from its Pakistan correspondent titled "Osama Dead: Pak May Have Known About His Presence in Abbottabad." The report noted growing speculation that Osama bin Laden was killed at a safehouse operated by the ISI. Two more reports were published by the websites rediff.com and timesofindia.com that indicated that the ISI knew bin Laden's whereabouts.
It should be noted that the website of the Urdu-language Pakistani daily Roznama Jang reported earlier today that Pakistani army forces did not participate in the operation to kill bin Laden.[1] The report quoted a statement of the Pakistani Foreign Office as confirming that Osama bin Laden was killed in the operation but the "Pakistani security forces did not take part in the operation."
The Pakistani military's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is known to be the most powerful player in Pakistan, virtually dictating Pakistan's foreign relations with Afghanistan, India, and the United States. It has been known over the past several decades for its support to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. Last month, Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman of U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated in Islamabad that the ISI continues to support the Haqqani Network, the second largest group of militants among the Taliban in Afghanistan.
"Pak May Have Known About His Presence in Abbottabad"
Following are excerpts from the India Today report:[2]
"A senior Pakistan military official has told India Today that it was impossible for the army to have not known that Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was in Abbottabad. This has further fuelled speculation that Osama was killed in an ISI safehouse. Bin Laden was killed in the operation late on Sunday night at a mansion in Abbottabad, 80 kilometers north of Islamabad.
"The cantonment [military camp] town houses many military institutions, including Pakistan's Military Academy at Kakul, where most of its military elite - including present [Pakistan Army] chief General [Ashfaq Pervez] Kayani - have passed through.
"The joint operation of Pakistani troops and American special forces that killed Osama bin Laden did not encounter any fierce resistance from the Al-Qaeda chief's bodyguards. 'There was minimal resistance and none of the troops in the operation were injured,' the official told India Today.
"Sources say this was unusual for a high-value target like bin Laden, who was normally surrounded by dozens of his elite bodyguards. No one was willing to talk about how many troops took part in this operation. Bin Laden's body was transported to Bagram airbase near Kabul, Afghanistan.
"Pakistan-U.S. intelligence agencies got a tip-off last Friday that Osama was hiding somewhere in Abbottabad. After tracing the exact location, a joint operation was carried out by special troops of Pak and U.S. Special Forces, which finally killed Osama bin Laden along with some of Al-Qaeda operatives.
"However, a spokesperson of Inter-Services public relations [of the Pakistani military] Major General Athar Abbas declined [to] comment. The Pakistan Foreign Office has stated that bin Laden was killed in an 'intelligence driven operation' around Abbottabad in the early hours of this morning. 'The operation was carried out by U.S. forces in accordance with the declared U.S. policy that Osama bin Laden will be eliminated in a direct action by U.S. forces wherever found in the world,' the statement said…"
'If Bin Laden Managed to Play Hide and Seek with the World All This While, It was Only Thanks to ISI's Patronage"
A report titled "More Shame and Retribution Heading ISI's Way" and published on the Indian website rediff.com also noted that Osama bin Laden could not have lived in Abbottabad without the knowledge of the Pakistani military. Following are excerpts from the report:[3]
"Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence [ISI] is bound to be cornered in the days to come following the killing of dreaded terrorist Osama bin Laden.
"A source in the intelligence agency says that Osama's death will no doubt put the ISI in a very uncomfortable position among the Al-Qaeda, Haqqani Network, and the Lashkar-e-Taiba, who now feel betrayed by the agency.
"When the dust settles, more embarrassment could come the ISI's way with the trial of terror suspects David Coleman Headley and Tahhawur Rana, due to commence [in a Chicago court].
"Nothing in the Af-Pak region goes unnoticed by the ISI, and if bin Laden managed to play hide-and-seek with the world all this while, it was only thanks to ISI's patronage. Although the U.S. has claimed that Pakistan was not in the know of this operation, terror groups would not believe so.
"They are aware that nothing is possible unless there has been a certain degree of support from the establishment. Moreover, Osama was living in a place close to the army headquarters in Abbottabad, about 70 kilometers northeast of Pakistan's capital Islamabad. This is not a fact that would have gone unnoticed by the ISI.
"The Pakistan military largely depends on the intelligence provided by the ISI, and hence all these movements and operations are well known to the establishment.
"The biggest backlash would, however, be from the Haqqani Network, with which the ISI has been toying for some time now. The ISI had managed to get the outfit into the Al-Qaeda network. For the ISI, this move paid off as it managed to set up a very strong force. But today, both outfits feel betrayed.
"The other embarrassment that the ISI would face is post-May 15, when Headley and Rana go on trial. Rana, in particular, had in his defense claimed that the LeT had nothing to do with the 11/26 attack in Mumbai and that it was the ISI, which had planned everything since day one.
"The ISI is extremely worried; it has been trying to exert immense pressure through diplomatic channels to prevent any such statement from coming out. If Rana's claims are accepted by the court, many high-ranking officials will have to stand trial. It would also go on to confirm that the Pakistani establishment had sponsored the gruesome attack on Indian soil.
"Indian agencies feel that the ISI would first look to rally its troops together and assure them that the war could still go on. However, terrorist groups would settle for nothing less than revenge and the ISI would need to play along to keep them amused. This would mean trouble, as the ISI is expected to give them a free hand to stage attacks."
Report in Indian Daily: "Hiding Bin Laden: Finger of Suspicion at ISI"
In a report, a correspondent of The Times of India newspaper filed a report from Washington under the title "Hiding bin Laden: Finger of Suspicion at ISI." Following are excerpts from the report:[4]
"[Announcing the death of Osama bin Laden,] while Obama said: 'It's important to note that our counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan helped lead us to bin Laden and the compound where he was hiding,' he made no mention of any Pakistani military role in the operation. U.S. officials in background briefing made it clear that no country, much less Pakistan, was informed of the operation.
"In fact, there was not even a word of thanks for Pakistan. Instead, Obama said: 'Tonight, I called President Zardari, and my team has also spoken with their Pakistani counterparts. They agree that this is a good and historic day for both of our nations. And going forward, it is essential that Pakistan continue to join us in the fight against al-Qaida and its affiliates.'
"The finger of suspicion is now pointing squarely at the Pakistani military and intelligence for sheltering and protecting Osama bin Laden before U.S. forces hunted him down and put a bullet in his head in the wee hours of Sunday. The coordinates of the action and sequence of events indicate that the Al-Qaeda fugitive may have been killed in an ISI safehouse.
"U.S. analysts uniformly suggested that the Pakistani security establishment's claim of a role in the operation is clearly aimed at ducking charges of its military's possible role in hiding bin Laden…
"In fact, top U.S. officials have openly suggested for months that the Pakistani military establishment was hiding bin Laden. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton came closest to publicly exposing Pakistan's role last May [in 2010] when she accused some government officials there of harboring Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar. 'I am not saying they are at the highest level...but I believe somewhere in this government are people who know where Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda and where Mullah Omar and the leadership of the Taliban are,' Clinton said on May 10 last year, adding, 'We expect more cooperation (from Pakistan) to help us bring to justice capture or kill those who brought us 9/11.'
"Taken together with President Obama's pointed reference to President Zardari and leaving out any mention of Pakistani forces' involvement, it would seem that Washington believes that Pakistan's military intelligence establishment, including the ISI, was sheltering bin Laden. The ISI was accused as recently as last week by top U.S. military official Admiral Mike Mullen of having terrorist links, and named as a terrorist support entity by U.S. officials, according to the Guantanamo cables.
"Lending credence to the charges is the fact that U.S. forces honed in on bin Laden in Abbottabad, which is a cantonment just 50 kilometers from Islamabad, where the Pakistani military has a strong presence. The place where bin Laden was killed is only kilometers from the Kakul military academy, where many Pakistani military elites, including some of its ISI cadres, graduate from.
"While U.S. officials are tight-lipped about precise details, analysts are trying to figure out whether the compound that sheltered bin Laden was an ISI safehouse. There is also speculation as to whether Hillary Clinton was referring to this when she made her pointed remarks last May.
"U.S. officials have said for years that they believed bin Laden escaped to Pakistan after the American bombing campaign in Afghanistan. But Pakistani officials, including its former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, insisted that he was in Afghanistan, even as Afghan officials would angrily refute it and say he is in Pakistan. In the end, the Americans and Afghans were right on the money."
© 1998-2011, The Middle East Media Research Institute All Rights Reserved.
[1]
www.jang.com.pk (Pakistan), May 2, 2011. The text of all the reports in this dispatch has been lightly edited for clarity.
[2]
www.indiatoday.in (India), May 2, 2011.
[3]
www.rediff.com (India), May 2, 2011.
[4]
www.timesofindia.com (India), May 2, 2011.
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) explores the Middle East through the region's media (both print and television), websites, religious sermons and school books. MEMRI bridges the language gap which exists between the West and the Middle East, providing timely translations of Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, Pashtu, Dari, Hindi, and Turkish media, as well as original analysis of political, ideological, intellectual, social, cultural, and religious trends in the Middle East.
