Bin Laden Operation Raises Questions about Lapses in ISI Intelligence
03 May 2011
Pakistan's main intelligence agency, the ISI, has said it is embarrassed by its failures on al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden. An ISI official told the BBC the compound in Abbottabad where Bin Laden was killed by US forces on Sunday had been raided several years ago. But the compound "was not on our radar" since then, the official said. The government of Pakistan has categorically denied any knowledge of the raid before it took place. No base within...
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Pakistan Criticizes "Unauthorized Unilateral Action" by US in bin Laden Raid
03 May 2011
Pakistan said Tuesday it had "concerns and reservations" about Washington's decision to attack and kill al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden deep inside Pakistan without seeking their permission or giving forewarning. "This event of unauthorized unilateral action cannot be taken as a rule," Pakistan's foreign ministry said in a statement. The 1,000-word statement marked a change in tone from a shorter missive put out Monday after a helicopter-borne...
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Report: China and Pakistan, Emerging Strains in the Entente Cordiale
03 May 2011
Recent reports alleging Chinese military activity in Pakistani-controlled areas of Kashmir call renewed attention to the extraordinary relationship between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Such activities fuel concerns – especially in Washington and New Delhi – that China enjoys unique privileges and exercises inordinate influence in Pakistan. Despite this perception, however, instances of direct...
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Bin Laden Killing Prompts Strong Response from Islamist Groups
03 May 2011
The founder one of Pakistan's most violent Islamist militant groups has told Muslims to be heartened by the death of Osama bin Laden, as his "martyrdom" would not be in vain, a spokesman for the group said on Tuesday. Lashkar-e-Taiba (Let), the militant group blamed for the 2008 terror attacks on Mumbai, has been holding special prayers for bin Laden in several cities and towns since he was killed in an operation by U.S. forces in Pakistan's northwestern...
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