Pakistan knew of Osama Bin Laden’s whereabouts: Leon Panetta claims

Pakistan knew of Osama Bin Laden’s whereabouts: Leon Panetta claims

In order to mount pressure on Pakistan, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta reiterated his claim that someone in Pakistani authority knew of Osama bin Laden’s whereabouts prior to the operation carried out US Navy Seals to kill him on May 02, 2011.

Speaking with an American TV channel, the US Defense Secretary informed that intelligence reports found Pakistani military helicopters had passed over the compound in Abbottabad.

He observed, “I personally have always felt that somebody must have had some sense of what was happening at this compound. Don’t forget, this compound had 18-foot walls. It was the largest compound in the area. So you would have thought that somebody would have asked the question.”

The US Defense Secretary went on to say that he remains convinced that someone in the Pakistani government “must have had some sense” that a high-profile person living in the compound.

He, however, clarified that he had no solid proof that Pakistan knew whereabouts of the killed Osama Bin Laden. He asserted, “I don’t have any hard evidence, so I can’t say it for a fact. There’s nothing that proves the case. But as I said, my personal view is that somebody somewhere probably had that knowledge.”

He maintained that concerns played a significant role in Washington not warning Pakistan officials of the impending raid, “We had seen some military helicopters actually going over this compound. And for that reason, it concerned us that, if we, in fact, brought (Pakistan) into it, that– they might…give bin Laden a heads up,” he observed.

In the meantime, the Americans for the first time publically acknowledged that a Pakistani doctor provided key information to them in advance of the successful Navy Seals assault.

Panetta said that Shakil Afridi helped provide intelligence for the raid on bin Laden’s compound, running a vaccination project for the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) to collect DNA and verify bin Laden’s presence in the house.

US Commandos carried out a raid on May 2, 2011, on a compound in the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad, north of the capital Islamabad, to kill Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden and later buried the 9/11 mastermind at sea.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=10809

Posted by Faisal Farooq on Jan 28 2012. Filed under Latest News, National, Pakistan, USA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.