Pakistan 'delay let bin Laden escape US raid'

[ECH1969]

Prevarication by the Pakistani government cost America the chance to kill Osama bin Laden in an airstrike near the Afghan border two years ago, the Sunday Telegraph has been told.

A CIA lead that the al-Qaeda leader was hiding in a remote province was squandered because the Pakistani government delayed giving permission for the attack on its soil, according to a senior Western diplomat.

By the time US officials got the go-ahead, bin Laden had left the suspected hideout in Zhob, in the Baluchistan province of south-west Pakistan.

Speaking of the Zhob attack, the diplomat, who asked not to be named, said: "For unknown reasons, Pakistani officials delayed in giving permission...which ultimately gave these militants time to move to an unknown location."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/01/29/wpak29.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/01/29/ixworld.html

[sakabatou]

1. Hoo-boy...

[HuffleClaw]

2. cough cough *bullshit* cough cough

this is clearly someone's idea of revenge for pakistan being upset about that recent bombing raid.

[Gman]

5. You're right... they continue to trash anyone that crosses them

domestically or interntionally.

[acmavm]

3. Tell pResident AWOL his military can't blow up innocent civilians

anymore and viola, all of a sudden it's the speaker's fault that bin Ladin is still running around.

These guys are so predictable it's sad.

Remember Tora Bora.

[951-Riverside]

4. Bring Osama out of the old war chest again eh?

[agincourt]

6. On a side note,

#1 and #2 al-Qaeda seem to have the most secure job in the world. #3 is always getting whacked. Wonder why?

[megatherium]

15. Like on the original Star Trek series, every time they beamed down

to a planet, and there was an ensign with them you'd never seen before, you knew he was doomed.

[rodeodance]

7. lots of speculation in the article-or propaganda--take your pick.

..The reason for the delay is not clear. While Pakistan's President, Pervez Musharraf, has vowed to eliminate terrorists operating within his country, elements within Pakistan's ISI intelligence service may have sought to protect bin Laden.

If he was in Zhob at the time it would have been the first known occasion that he had been firmly in America's sights since his escape from Tora Bora in Afghanistan, where he slipped through a cordon of US troops in 2001.

Gen Musharraf last week described the strike against al-Zawahiri as a "violation of sovereignty", although he said other al-Qaeda figures had died in the raid.

Al-Zawahiri is thought to have cancelled his visit, possibly after spotting CIA drones in the area.

[struggle4progress]

8. The Telegraph appears to be a reliable source of rightwing claptrap

[pinniped]

14. Dude was either driving around or riding his camel, donkey, burro,...

mule, or horse, when he possibly spotted drones flying around looking for him or parked on the tarmac at the secret CIA airstrip he likes to ride past every morning.

This article is good stuff.

--Al-Zawahiri is thought to have cancelled his visit, possibly after spotting CIA drones in the area.--

[uppityperson]

9. One more quote from article

"The near-miss was cited by the diplomat as the reason why America chose not to consult Islamabad before the US missile strike in Pakistan's Bajaur region two weeks ago. The January 13 attack, prompted by a tip that bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, was hiding in a local village, killed 13 civilians."

"If he was in Zhob at the time it would have been the first known occasion that he had been firmly in America's sights since his escape from Tora Bora in Afghanistan, where he slipped through a cordon of US troops in 2001."

The problem is that I am suspicious of anything and everything in the media now. Wolf! Wolf! Wolf!, ho humm

[DemonFighterLives]

10. Why are they still printing this shit

Everyone knows Binnie was flown out of Tora Bora into the protective custody of Musharaff. Not really a surprise that we missed him. dubby looks out for his partners in crime, at least for a while.

[wtmusic]

11. Nope. It was Clinton who let OBL escape.

I'm not sure how, but give me a moment and I'll think of it.

[JCMach1]

12. The lies are thicker than flys

since when does Bush ask permission for this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?????????????

[pinniped]

13. Oh, so back then the CIA was asking Pakistan for permission...

to launch attacks on their soil.

What about those 18 or so people bombed to death a couple weeks ago?

Did the CIA ask for permission that or is the Pakistani .gov just pretending they were kept in the dark?