Pakistan knew about increased U.S. activity in Abbottabad

[Saifullah Sani]

Pakistan was aware of increased U.S. intelligence activity in the country weeks before the raid that killed Osama bin Laden in May, an Arab diplomat with direct knowledge of the events and a senior Pakistani official told CNN Saturday.

The two sources offered slightly different versions of who knew what, when.

The diplomat, who wished to remain anonymous because he is not authorized to speak publicly, said Pakistan knew about the heightened intelligence activity, specifically in the city of Abbottabad, but "never, never had any idea the operation was about bin Laden." The diplomat was approached privately by a Pakistani to inquire about heightened U.S. intelligence-gathering activities. He said it was assumed Pakistan was asking all Arab allies.

Meanwhile, the senior Pakistani official, who was not authorized to speak publicly on intelligence matters, said Pakistan was indeed aware of "heightened CIA activity in Pakistan" in the weeks prior to the raid, but that the information officials had was not "Abbottabad specific."

"If folks in Islamabad had been able to pinpoint Abbottabad, they would have done something about it," the official said.

Relations between Pakistan and the United States have been increasingly strained since bin Laden was killed in a Navy SEAL raid in early May.

U.S. officials believe Pakistan is not doing enough to go after al Qaeda and other extremists, while the Pakistanis are upset with what they consider to be unilateral steps taken by the United States within their borders.

Washington did not give advance notice to Pakistani officials about the raid on bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad.

Senior U.S. officials also suspect that some in Pakistan helped bin Laden live there. CIA Director Leon Panetta reportedly has told legislators that Pakistan was either involved in helping the world's most wanted fugitive avoid detection or was incompetent for not knowing he was living on Pakistani soil.

The Arab diplomat said he is sure officials in Pakistan "had no idea where bin Laden was."

He also said "it was always clear Zawahiri was going to replace bin Laden," referring to Ayman al-Zawahiri, the longtime deputy to bin Laden who is thought to have taken over leadership of al Qaeda.

"It's not in their culture to go with someone else. They (al Qaeda) value loyalty," the diplomat said.
Sources: Pakistan knew about increased U.S. activity ahead of raid - CNN.com

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

This quite clearly establishes that Pakistani institutions and high level indidividuals in those institutions were not sheltering. assisting or had any knowledge of OBL's location.

Had the allegations against the ISI/PA been true, they would have moved Osama Bin Laden to a different location as soon as they realized that the US was 'sniffing around' in Abbottabad.

That US intelligence operations continued unabated, despite Pakistani knowledge of them, and OBL had no clue about those operations, clearly indicates that Pakistan cooperated with the US and assisted it, and was paid back in deceit treachery and an illegal military raid in Abbottabad.

 

[Solomon2]

AM, anonymous sources never "clearly establish" anything; that's why they remain anonymous.

The Arab (Saudi or UAE, I suppose) account is the news here, the only claim that Pakistanis knew the American focus was on A-bad. Pakistanis deny this. It is an interesting disparity, for it implies the Arab had a Pakistani source who did not report to Pakistani intelligence officials but only to Pakistani diplomatic officials.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

AM, anonymous sources never "clearly establish" anything; that's why they remain anonymous.

In this particular case the point is simply that Pakistan had information of increased US intelligence activity in Abbottabad - which, if the 'complicity argument' was true, would have resulted in OBL being moved to a different location.

The fact that this was an interview/statement given to CNN makes the report more credible, since an American news network would have no vested interest in publishing an account that essentially exonerates Pakistan from the unsubstantiated allegations leveled against it.

The Arab (Saudi or UAE, I suppose) account is the news here, the only claim that Pakistanis knew the American focus was on A-bad. Pakistanis deny this. It is an interesting disparity, for it implies the Arab had a Pakistani source who did not report to Pakistani intelligence officials but only to Pakistani diplomatic officials.

Pakistan denies knowledge of the US raid, the article itself states as much, that while Pakistan was aware of increased US intelligence activity in Abottabad, they were not aware of US plans to conduct a raid, nor does it appear that they were aware that it was related to Osama Bin Laden.

You and your ilk are quickly running out of even straws to grasp at to try and paint Pakistan as 'complicit' in terrorism.

 

[muse]

There are so many versions of "Pakistanis knew" that I have lost count --- and that's the design, it's to so muddle the story that it can allow the complicit or incompetent" line to wither, without establishing a clear picture - Pakistanis obviously prefer more ambiguity to the complicit or incompetent

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

There are so many versions of "Pakistanis knew" that I have lost count --- and that's the design, it's to so muddle the story that it can allow the complicit or incompetent" line to wither, without establishing a clear picture - Pakistanis obviously prefer more ambiguity to the complicit or incompetent

Again - this particular report does not contradict Pakistan's official position on the OBL raid.

The report only indicates that Pakistan was aware of increased US intelligence activity in the city and nearby, it does not indicate that Pakistan had any idea what the increased US intelligence activity was related to, or that Pakistan was aware of the US plans to conduct an illegal raid to capture/kill OBL.

 

[Frank Martin]

Is this a typical lame excuse? It happened after the RD incident, so if they have noticed the increased activity of CIA around the place, atleast they would have taken some actions to know why it is so.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Is this a typical lame excuse by the security establishments? It happened after the RD incident, so if they notice the increased activity of CIA around the place they would have taken some actions atleast.

The security establishment did not make this claim - per CNN, an Arab diplomat indicated that Pakistani officials contacted Arab States to inquire about the intelligence activity.

Before posting 'lame arguments', at least read the posts a little more carefully.

 

[StormShadow]

Dosent matter how many versions of "Pakistanis knew" come...they all fail to address why OBL went unnoticed for 5 years just beside the military academy.

 

[Frank Martin]

The security establishment did not make this claim - per CNN, an Arab diplomat indicated that Pakistani officials contacted Arab States to inquire about the intelligence activity.

Before posting 'lame arguments', at least read the posts a little more carefully.

Sir, i thought he was quoting what he had learned from the establishments..thanks for the correction