Pakistan knew beforehand US to bomb house

[donsu]

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/HA18Df01.html




Pakistan's misplaced ire over US misfire

-snip-

But the fact is that Pakistan knew in advance of the US raid in Pakistan on Friday aimed at killing al-Qaeda's No 2, Dr Ayman al-Zawahiri, who was believed to be in the area. Instead, 18 civilians

were killed near the village of Damadola in the Bajur tribal area on the Afghan border in a raid by a US Predator drone.

-snip-

A Western intelligence source told Asia Times Online that the US had heard of a "big meeting" in Bajur of Taliban, Pakistani and al-Qaeda leaders. "They flew three Predator drones over the area for a few days and a few hours before the strike, and that seems to be what tipped Zawahiri off," the source said.

-snip-


It is most likely, therefore, that the government issued its protests as a way to defuse tension and save face, as it is almost inconceivable that it did not know what was happening. Given the strategic alliance between the United States and Pakistan, the US would not keep Islamabad completely in the dark in an operation such as that in Bajur, where Pakistani territory was violated.

"Even during the Bill Clinton administration, when cruise missiles only passed through Pakistani space to hit Osama bin Laden in Kandahar and Khost , Pakistan was informed well in advance," said a Pakistani official on condition of anonymity.
-snip-
----------------------------

oh, the crummy, lethal games they play.

[sui generis]

1. bullshit meter is off the scale

"on condition of anonymity"

First of all, Musharraf wouldn't let the idea of an American missile in sovereign territory undermine his hold on that cultural powder keg, and certainly would not have agreed to allow a "surgical strike" when a tactical ground operation could have been used and people actually detained.

Secondly, he wouldn't have wanted to weather the fallout of seeing the U.S. act unilaterally on this without Pakistan's open involvement.

This is absolute utter bullshit - a complete fabrication.

[donsu]

2. who fabricated it? the writer? you think the writer was paid to

fabricate or did it on his own. was the writers editor in on it?

[AzDar]

3. We are going to have to formulate a new word in the English language

to describe this Administration's lies and corruption and absolute lack of credibility and integrity.
I seriously cannot find one.
Vile? Reprehensible? Nope,not quite descriptive enough.

[donsu]

5. SICK?

nt

[Zodiak]

4. Smells like bullshit

Why the hell would we send predator drones THREE frigging times before a raid? It's not like they cannot be seen in the air. Human surveillance is more effective, and more difficult to discover.

Also, we keep saying that this guy was there, and I heard on the news that the US asserted that SOME of the people we killed were Al Queda. No one has backed that claim. CNN just repeated the claim because, apparently, what sounds good is just as newsworthy as facts.

Now this author seems to be repeating the lies he gets frm the administration without critical thought. Not very good journalism when there is CLEARLY contention in the issue. Get to the bottom of the story...don't just repeat administration lies without critical analysis.

Finally...is everyone here sick of "but Clinton did this and Clintont did that". What the fuck is it with the fixation on Clinton. Clinton is irrelevant, but it seems that he is trotted out time and again to justify anything this administration does, include killing people.

[formercia]

6. If they told ISI, then that's the reason he wasn't there

They protect their own. You cannot trust the Pakistanis,period.

[sui generis]

7. funny that's what they say about us

the only difference is Pakistan isn't trying to tell Americans how they should run their country or flinging bombs at their political enemies here in the states.