IS UNITED STATES OF AMERICA acts like "criminal thugs ? Is PAKISTAN withering away as "dyfunctionmal institutions" ? Both these big questions have been proved beyond doubt with the leaking of the report of the Abbottabad commission, probing the circumstances leading to the USA's NAVY SEAL raids in killing the world's most wanted man-OSAMA bin Laden- to al-Jazeera. While both Pakistan and USA have been facing much more criticism over the report of the commission, headed by a judge of the Pakistan Supreme Court and comprising three military and police officers thievery in raiding Pakistan territory without any information to the Pakistan government by American raiders and Pakistan government's notorious military intelligence apparatus-ISI- and police and civil machinery's failure to track the dreaded bin Laden, who was living in the military areas of Abbottabad for over six years.The commission was entrusted to trace the lapses of the Pakistan government as well as USA's unwanted raid of the sovereignty of the Pakistan by raiding and killing bin Laden in Abbottabad on the night of May 02, 2011.
Before I refer in detail the report of the commission, I must mention that I had written an essay on my blog-JINX of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein continues to haunt America and Europe!-August 28, 2012 and another one-Why This Hate Campaign against Muslims of the World-October 16, 2012- www.kksingh1.blogspot.com And also some backgrounders about bin Lasen. Osama bin Laden, the man who has struck terror in the hearts of Americans, the man, who has dared to take on the might of the greatest super power, continued to remain a mystery and enigma for the world today !
Osama bin Laden was a dissident Saudi businessman, who had amassed a fortune in oil and construction business with his family fortune estimated at $ 5 billion during early 1990s of which he has access to an estimated $300 million. A graduate of Riyadh University's management economics department, he saw himself as a model businessman. but later on his products had been terrorists around the globe. Till his killing bin Laden enjoyed the unenviable position of being hated by one part of the globe and at the same time being worshipped by another part. Osama, who was once referred as "KING OF TERROR", had once declared jihad-a holy war- on America ! His extensive Al-Qaeda network had spread over 35 countries in the world
. On September 11, 2001, terrorists dealt a devastating blow to the United States of America. They hijacked four air crafts of the United and American Airlines at roughly the same time. Two of them were used to hit and destroy the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in New York, the symbol of American capitalist power. One was used to hit and destroy a third of the Pentagon in Washington, a symbol of America military might. The fourth one apparently aimed At the White House or the Capitol, symbols of American democracy, failed to reach their destination and crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. It was said that such attacks were worse in the century and greater blow than the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour. All suicide attackers, who carried the hijacking and attack, were trained as pilots in aviation schools within the US so that they could take over from pilots of the air crafts, which they had hijacked under the precision and planning of bin Laden !
The then President of USA George W. Bush , who had vowed to smoke out Osama and his Al-Queda group and get them dead and alive, could not succeed but his successor Obama not only traced out the hide-out of Osama in Pakistan but raided and killed him and his body was cremated at an unknown destination in the sea. Today in the world, Osama had been killed but his Al-queda network of terrorists are still spreading terror in many parts of the globe. Laden had publicly issued his "Declaration of war" against the United States in August 1996.. Osama bin Laden was one of the 53 children of the Saudi construction magnate Muhammad Awad Bin Laden. His mother was reportedly a Palestinian and the least favoured of his father's ten wives. After his holy war against Soviets in 1979 in Afghanistan on the secret support of the USA ,It is said that USA had spent $500 million per year to arm and train the impoverished and outgunned mujaheddin guerrillas of Laden to fight the Soviet Union.
Finally, Laden was shifted to safe haven in Afghanistan by Talibans. From there Bin Laden had spread his extensive international network to effective use. Bin Laden told Qatar's Al-Jageera television in a rare interview in 1999 that even when he was on the same side as the United States-fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan-he always "hated the Americans because they are against Muslims...... We did not want the US support in Afghanistan, but we just happened to be fighting the same enemy" Following intensive hunts of Laden in mountain range of Afghanistan, Laden crossed to Pakistan border and aided and abetted by Pakistan military, secret service-ISI- and Pakistan government, Laden built a house in Abbottabad and started living there as an ordinary fellow but actively working through couriers.
Now the report of Abbattobad commission, which made startling revelation about the dreaded terrorist and connivance of Pakistan authorities.The 336-page report has said, " it is glaring testimony to the collective incompetence and negligence, at the very least, of the security and intelligence community in the Abbottabad areas", which criticised the Pakistan's military spy agency, the Inter-Service l Intelligence directorate (ISI) for having proximity "closed the book" on Bin Laden in 2005.. Nor does the 336 page report rule out the possibility of involvement by rogue Pakistan 's intelligence agency officers, who have been accused of deliberately shielding bin Laden by some commentators. Given the length of stay and the changes of residence of (Bin Laden) and his family in Pakistan......the possibility of some some such direct or indirect and "plausible deniable" support cannot be ruled out, at least, at some level outside formal structures of the intelligence establishments.". It warns that the influence of radical Islamists inside the armed forces had been "underestimated by senior military officials whom the commission met."
Notably, the report of the commission's documents reflect official fury at the behaviour of the USA. It adds the US " acted like a criminal thug" when it sent the special forces or Navy Seal raiding party into Pakistan territory. The report further says, " the incident was a "national tragedy" because of the "illegal manner in which (Bin Laden) was killed along with three Pakistani citizens". It says the operation on May two, 2011 night was an" American act of war against Pakistan", which illustrated the US's "contemptuous disregard of Pakistan sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity in the arrogant certainty of its unmatched military might".
In addition to its scorching criticism of Pakistan institutions, the documents also points out begun soon after dramatic US raid, the judge-led enquiry by the Abbottabad commission heard testimony from some of the country's most important players including the ISI chief, Ahmad Suja Pasha (now retired), who shared much of the authors' despair about Pakistan, warning that "it is failing state". In remarks that will be seized on by critics of the CIA's use of drone strikes against suspected militants inside Pakistan, Pasha admitted to a "political understanding"on the issue between Islamabad and the USA-something Pakistan has officially denied. Pasha said there were no written agreements, and that Pakistan did subsequently attempt to stop drone attacks but added that "it was easier to say no to them at the beginning". Pasha was very much critical of the quality of Pakistan's civilian leadership, accusing his nominal boss, the defence minister, of failing to have read "the basic documents concerning defence policy There was simply no culture of reading among the political leadership and thinking process was non-existence."
The report also includes much more criticism of the US, in particular its CIA for its failure to share intelligence fully with ISI. At one point of time,the CIA gave Pakistan the phone numbers to monitor that would ultimately help identify Laden's personal courier-the all important lead that eventually brought the manhunt to al-Qaida chief's Abbottabad home. The CIA never explained the significance of the phone numbers and the ISI failed to properly monitor them.The Guardian, quoting al-Jageeera, said that but in striking echo of US unwillingness to share intelligence with its Pakistani partners, Pasha also said the ISI was reluctant to work with Pakistan's own law enforcement organisations because "there were too many instances where information shared with the police had been compromised". It may be mentioned here that with passing of time Pasha has become strong defender of Laden and has said to a TV channel that he was hero of Islam
The report suggests that his evidence highlights the ISI's distrust of and anger at the CIA, which Pasha claimed deliberately prevented Pakistan from claiming the glory for finding Laden, which he said would have improved Pakistan's international reputation. The "main agenda CIA was to have the ISI declared a terrorist organisation" he is quoted as saying. Pasha reports the words of a US spy: "your are so cheap.......we can buy with a visa, with a visit to the USA, even with a dinner......we can but anyone."
The report asks whether the ISI had been compromised by CIA spies. One lieutenant colonel who "disappeared" with his family the day after the Abbottabad raid a profile that " matched that of a likely CIA recruits."The document repeatedly returns to what it describes as "'government implosion syndrome" to explain the failure of any institution to investigate Laden's unusual hideout.The report further says, "how the entire neighbourhood, local officials, police and security and intelligence officials all missed the size, the strange shape, the barbed wire, the lack of cars and visitors.....over a period of nearly six years beggars belief."
Significantly, the report notes in disgust that the house was even declared uninhabited in an official survey of the area even though 26 people were living there at a time. The documents also gives fascinating glimpse into the day -to-day life of Laden: according to account given to the Abbottbad judicial panel by his wives, he wore a wide-brimmed cowboy hat to avoid detection from spy satellites above, liked to have an apple and a bit of chocolate to perk himself up when he was feeling weak, and encouraged his grandchildren to compete over who could tend best vegetable patch. The children one of Laden's trusted Pakistan couriers knew him as "Miskeen kaka" or "poor uncle"-after one asked why the tall Arab never went out on shopping expedition, the child was told he was too poor to buy anything. In tantalising moment when the car of Laden was riding in was stopped by police in the picturesque region of Swat. The policemen was not quick-witted enough to spot the then clean shaven bin Laden and the group were allowed to pass.
Moreover the report further point out that Laden must have required a support network "that could not possibly his couriers, security guards have been confined to the two Pasthun brothers, who worked as his couriers, security guards and general factotums." While expressing concern over non-existence of effective intelligence agency to contact, infiltrate or co-opt them and to develop a whole caseload of information, the report voices shock over US helicopters carrying members of Navy Seal team of six were not spotted as they swooped in over Abbatobad on May two night. A lack of operational radar meant the Pakistani Air Force only became aware of the attack from media reports after it was over ! Thus report concluded that Pakistan failed to detect Osama bin Laden during six years he hid in Abbottobad because of the "collective incompetence and negligence of the country's intelligence and security forces.
SOURCES: al-Jazeera news website, a book-Osama bin Laden: King of Terror or Saviour of Islam ?, written by Luis S R Vas, The Guardian, The Time weekly websites.
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