Constructed in 2005, the mansion was eight times bigger than other houses in the vicinity; its few occupants were never seen by neighbours; large vehicles moved in and out of a compound that otherwise showed little sign of any life; and although cameras were fitted at key vantage points, there were apparently only a handful of guards at the gates. In addition, the house had no telephone or Internet connection. It’s hard to see how such a building wouldn’t have attracted attention.
Desperate to defend itself, the Pakistani government has said that Abbatobad is a small town and added that there are a lot of houses with big compounds enclosed within high boundary walls. But this was no ordinary small town. It was within metres of a military academy where one of the periodic guests is the chief of the Pakistani Army, arguably the most powerful and important figure in ‘democratic’ Pakistan. With this in mind, it seems unlikely that the ISI wouldn’t have been interested in who was living in the bin Laden compound.
It’s also widely believed that bin Laden required frequent medical attention, including dialysis. Unless he had a portable hospital moving with him complete with medics and all the necessary equipment, he would have required regular care by a visiting medical team. How exactly this could have been done without some kind of official ‘assistance’ is difficult to see.
http://www.reddit.com/tb/h65fu
http://ramanisblog.in/2011/05/05/osamas-hide-out-latest-video-isi-safe-house/
A senior official in Pakistan’s civilian government told ABC News, “Elements of Pakistan intelligence — probably rogue or retired — were involved in aiding, abetting and sheltering the leader of al Qaeda,” the strongest public statement yet from the Pakistani government after the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound.
This is based on the government’s judgment that the number of years bin Laden spent in Abbottabad — and it now appears in a village outside the city of Haripur — would have been impossible without help, possibly from someone in the middle tier of ISI, Pakistan’s intelligence agency, who grew up fighting alongside the mujahidin against the Soviets, said the official.
According to the official, the military and ISI have been weeding some of them out but many remain.
There have long been sharp divisions between the civilian government and military in Pakistan, and those divisions are now playing out in public.
The Pakistani official also said U.S. officials are demanding the identities of particular ISI agents, in part, as proof the government is truly serious about confronting al Qaeda’s supporters on the inside.
In public statements, U.S. officials have balanced these demands with positive words about the U.S.-Pakistani relationship.
National Security Advisor Tom Donilon told ABC’s Christiane Amanpour today on “This Week” that “questions … are being raised quite aggressively in Pakistan.”
But later, he added, “(The Pakistanis) have been an essential partner of ours in the war against al Qaeda and in our efforts against terrorism. And that really can’t be dismissed. This is an important relationship with the United States, so we need to assess this, Christiane, in a cool and calm way.”
It’s the impression of some in the government that the United States is giving Pakistan some space in the wake of the raid, but only for a limited time — and that if Pakistan doesn’t act in a way that satisfies the United States, there will be consequences.
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