US Vows to Find Out if Pakistan Sheltered Osama

US-Pakistan Tensions Rise, But Some See Split as Unlikely

With a growing number of Congressmen speculating that the Zardari government was “sheltering” Osama bin Laden before his killing in a Sunday US raid, some US officials are promising to “investigate” the Pakistani government over it.

US officials had long speculated that bin Laden was in Pakistan, but it came as a surprise that he was in a major city, not a remote tribal area. Senators have since called for the US to halt all aid to Pakistan.

The discontent over the situation flows both ways, however, with Pakistani officials angry that the US did not inform them about the raid until after the fact. This problem has been compounded by White House officials suggesting that bin Laden was not a special case, and that they may do it again.

Though all indication is that the US-Pakistani relationship is worsening, a number of analysts see a full split as unlikely, saying that the two sides really wouldn’t benefit from ending their tense relationship. Whether this is enough remains to be seen.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.