Up until roughly 48 hours ago, Osama bin Laden was the luckiest man alive. How is it that the world’s most hunted human being managed to outfox the U.S. military for nearly a decade?
His residence was not a cave, or a swamp, but a million dollar compound nestled in the upscale city of Abbottabad, about a half a mile away from a well regarded Pakistani military academy, and less than an hour’s drive from the Capital of Islamabad. Intelligence gathered from his sprawling home has led military leaders to surmise that he moved in about six years ago.
Was it luck that blanketed the world’s leading terrorist? Complacency on behalf of Pakistan’s government? Or something sinister such as, aiding and abetting?
U.S. Senator Susan Collins, R-Maine, concluded, “I think this tells us once again that, unfortunately, Pakistan at times is playing a double game.” Collins is a member of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee.
And Senator Bob Casey Jr. D-Pennsylvania, in a written statement told Rock The Capital, ”Even before Sunday, there were a lot of questions about Pakistan on the fight against terrorism. I have also pressed Pakistan to do more to stop the flow of ammonium nitrate into Afghanistan that is being used in IEDs to target our troops. It is even more clear now that the Pakistani government has a lot of questions to answer.”
If Pakistan truly looked the other way, it will be hard to find an ally in America. Bin laden and his terrorist organization al-Qaida were behind the Sept. 11 attacks that left 3,000 people dead, and no, we will never forget, which is why bin Laden’s body is now lying at the bottom of the sea. But, the fact is, America needs to stay on favourable terms with Pakistan.
U.S Representative Mike Rogers, R-Michigan, chairs the House Intelligence Committee, he is not so eager to pull the mutual relations cord with Pakistan. “It is incredibly important to us to maintain a relationship, so we can pursue those targets that we know are posing a threat to the United States,” Rogers said. “So that’s a balance, and we’ll have to work through it.”
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari vehemently denied that his country has been complacent or complicit in harboring bin Laden.
