Pakistan Warns US on Lack of Communication on Bin Laden Raid
Officials Concerned Attack Will Set a Precedent for Cross Border Operations
Despite the Obama Administration’s initial claims that the Sunday morning raid that killed Osama bin Laden was done with the cooperation of the Pakistani government, officials later admitted that they didn’t even tell the Zardari government about the attack until after the fact.
Officials defended the secrecy, claiming they thought Pakistan’s government would tip off bin Laden and allow him to escape. This fits neatly into the narrative of Pakistan supporting the terror leader, but Pakistan was quick to condemn the policy.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari insisted that the government “did its part” but officials also cautioned that the unilateral action must not be repeated by the Obama Administration. Officials made no indication that they were planning to formally protest the raid.
And indeed, if this were an isolated raid that killed bin Laden, the Pakistani government would likely not have said anything. It is the repeated US strikes into Pakistan and the constant calls for cross border raids and possible invasions that has officials concerned that an extremely “special case” raid will be used as a precedent for a new Obama escalation.
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JLS
May 3rd, 2011 at 9:51 pm
You've accepted the US government's bribe (foreign aid) and allowed their CIA to assassinate anyone they deemed guilty without any due process for years and all of a sudden you're concerned that an assassination might set a precedent????
camus10
May 4th, 2011 at 12:41 am
<< After completing aerial assessments, the four Pakistan Army helicopters were replaced by two US helicopters, ten minutes later. >>
http://nation.com.pk/pakistan-...
Navy SEAL operation was conducted with Pak Army. Pak Army function in sync with JSOC-SEALS. There is no coverage of the FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds confirmation OBL was a CIA asset. Just the fact OBL boasted about 911 does not diffuse the charge 911 was a false flag operation by CIA Mossad and possible complicity of the Saud family and ISI renegades
Wolfgang9
May 4th, 2011 at 7:01 am
Yes, I also do not believe that the Pakistani governnment was caught by surprise. The criminals (IMHO) who did the killings were flown from Afghanistan to a Pakistani airport were they boarded the Helicopters which got them to the place. This Pakistani government is so sleazy that they would say anything just to save their asses.
Wolfgang9
John_Muhammad
May 4th, 2011 at 3:09 pm
You can bet if the Pakistani response to yet another violation of it's territorial sovereignty was to heat up a few of their nukes and very publicly target some fat US-connected targets (maybe some of the oil fields in the Gulf of Mexico, or up in Alaska), the US response would be a LOT different. You can bet that US diplomats wold be burning their super-saver miles tracking back and forth to Islamabad to smooth things over, and probably try to do so with duffel bags full of cash.
It's my amateur prediction that Pakistan and US relations will sour to the point where they turn to others for allliances, and it wouldn't surprise me if the Iranians don't step in or, even more likely, the Chinese. China on one side, Pakistan on the other with Afghanistan wavering- India may fall away from us as well. Choose your words and actions very carefully, Washington.