emoriphious
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Pentagon feared cutting-edge hardware in tail could have betrayed military secrets if reverse-engineered in China 
Pakistan will return the wreckage of the US special forces helicopter used in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden as a tentative first step towards hitting the reset button in their badly damaged relations.
Senator John Kerry announced the offer in Islamabad after 24 hours of meetings with Pakistan's military and civilian leadership amid deep mutual mistrust and recriminations since Bin Laden's killing on 2 May.
The US feared cutting-edge military technology in the tail of the helicopter, abandoned after US forces blew up the rest of the craft, could be reverse-engineered in China.
A joint statement following the talks reported "a constructive exchange of views" diplomatic speak for tough-talking but also an agreement to work together against "high value targets". It was not clear if these targets included the Taliban leader Mullah Omar or al-Qaida's number two, Ayman al-Zawahiri, both of whom are believed to be in Pakistan.
Kerry, considered the "good cop" of US diplomacy with Islamabad, stressed the "extraordinary" nature of the mission that killed Bin Laden, saying it had been kept secret for operational reasons and not due to US mistrust of Pakistan. This claim contradicted earlier comments by the CIA chief, Leon Panetta, that Pakistani intelligence (ISI) had been excluded in case someone tipped off the al-Qaida leader.
"This had to be an American operation, and it had to be as secure as humanly possible," he said. But he stopped short of alleging Pakistani complicity with Bin Laden, saying there was "no evidence at this point in time".
The deal comes amid growing anti-American anger inside Pakistan, which on Friday passed a motion condemning the US raid and calling for a complete review of the relationship with the US, including potentially cutting Nato's supply line to Afghanistan.
A senior Pakistani military official told the Guardian the raid had sparked vivid anti-American sentiment inside the armed forces, and that General Kayani had faced anger during a tour of military bases last week. There were also questions about the poor perfomance of the ISI, the official said, but rejected suggestions that agency personnel had helped Bin Laden.
Instead, he suggested, the US needed to make major concessions to rebuild the relationship including, he said, a nuclear cooperation deal similar to the one between Washington and India. But there are few signs that the US will make any concessions, with Kerry also under pressure from US senators who want to slash aid to Pakistan or cut relations entirely.
Pakistan to return Osama bin Laden helicopter wreckage to US | World news | The Guardian


Pakistan will return the wreckage of the US special forces helicopter used in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden as a tentative first step towards hitting the reset button in their badly damaged relations.
Senator John Kerry announced the offer in Islamabad after 24 hours of meetings with Pakistan's military and civilian leadership amid deep mutual mistrust and recriminations since Bin Laden's killing on 2 May.
The US feared cutting-edge military technology in the tail of the helicopter, abandoned after US forces blew up the rest of the craft, could be reverse-engineered in China.
A joint statement following the talks reported "a constructive exchange of views" diplomatic speak for tough-talking but also an agreement to work together against "high value targets". It was not clear if these targets included the Taliban leader Mullah Omar or al-Qaida's number two, Ayman al-Zawahiri, both of whom are believed to be in Pakistan.
Kerry, considered the "good cop" of US diplomacy with Islamabad, stressed the "extraordinary" nature of the mission that killed Bin Laden, saying it had been kept secret for operational reasons and not due to US mistrust of Pakistan. This claim contradicted earlier comments by the CIA chief, Leon Panetta, that Pakistani intelligence (ISI) had been excluded in case someone tipped off the al-Qaida leader.
"This had to be an American operation, and it had to be as secure as humanly possible," he said. But he stopped short of alleging Pakistani complicity with Bin Laden, saying there was "no evidence at this point in time".
The deal comes amid growing anti-American anger inside Pakistan, which on Friday passed a motion condemning the US raid and calling for a complete review of the relationship with the US, including potentially cutting Nato's supply line to Afghanistan.
A senior Pakistani military official told the Guardian the raid had sparked vivid anti-American sentiment inside the armed forces, and that General Kayani had faced anger during a tour of military bases last week. There were also questions about the poor perfomance of the ISI, the official said, but rejected suggestions that agency personnel had helped Bin Laden.
Instead, he suggested, the US needed to make major concessions to rebuild the relationship including, he said, a nuclear cooperation deal similar to the one between Washington and India. But there are few signs that the US will make any concessions, with Kerry also under pressure from US senators who want to slash aid to Pakistan or cut relations entirely.
Pakistan to return Osama bin Laden helicopter wreckage to US | World news | The Guardian