Pak spy agency harbored former al-Qaeda chief: Report
Iran Press TV
Wed Mar 19, 2014 6:54PM GMT
A media report says former Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lieutenant Genera Ahmed Shuja Pasha knew of former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's hideout in Pakistan.
The New York Times report written by journalist Carlotta Gall claims inside sources told her that a special desk handled bin Laden's hiding places across the militancy-riddled country.
'He knew of Osama's whereabouts, yes,' Gall quoted a senior Pakistani official as saying. 'Pasha was always their blue-eyed boy,' the official added.
Gall covered Afghanistan and Pakistan for the paper from 2001 to 2013.
Pakistani government reports have also criticized the country's civilian and military leadership for failing to detect the presence of the al-Qaeda chief for years.
US President Barack Obama claimed that al-Qaeda chief was killed by US forces on May 1, 2011 in a hiding compound in Pakistani town of Abbottabad.
A US official later announced that bin Laden's body was abruptly buried at sea, adding that their decision for a sea burial was made because no country would accept bin Laden's remains, without elaborating on which countries were actually contacted on the matter.
Media reports, however, have raised serious questions as to why US officials did not allow for the application of a DNA test to officially confirm the identity of the corpse before its hasty burial.
JR/AB
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