Posted on 05/10/2011 7:04:32 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
The Washington Post reports that the Pakistani intelligence service has outed a CIA station chief in response to the US raid in Abbottabad that killed Osama bin Laden. Their report avoids naming the CIA’s man, who will presumably be heading home quickly after leading the effort in the last six months on the OBL operation — which he had to do after Pakistan outed the previous station chief:
The public outing of the CIA station chief here threatened on Monday to deepen the rift between the United States and Pakistan, with U.S. officials saying they believed the disclosure had been made deliberately by Pakistan’s main spy agency.
If true, the leak would be a sign that Pakistan’s powerful security establishment, far fromfeeling chastened by the killing of terrorist leader Osama bin Laden in a Pakistani garrison city last week, is seeking to demonstrate its leverage over Washington and retaliate for the unilateral U.S. operation.
Less than six months ago, the identity of the previous CIA station chief in Islamabad was also disclosed in an act that U.S. officials blamed on their counterparts in Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency, or ISI.
The new station chief, who runs one of the largest U.S. intelligence-gathering operations in the world, played an instrumental role in overseeing efforts to confirm bin Laden’s location before last week’s raid.
This reminds me of the Cold War, when the US and USSR would retaliate for espionage by expelling well-known operatives after an arrest. In this case, that’s a disturbing comparison, because Pakistan is a putative ally, not antagonist. The next man to draw this assignment better not sign any long-term leases in Islamabad.
Still, this is the kind of petty retaliation that speaks more to Pakistani impotence than rage. They can’t afford to go full rogue on the US, not with Islamists looking for any good opening to seize control. The best they can do is to tweak the US to express their humiliation and try to be seen as only incompletely impotent.
I’d guess that the CIA figured that they would have to change station chiefs after the end of this operation, and that it would be an excellent trade. They would be correct.
RE: Maybe, just maybe it is time for us to take President Washington’s advice and mind our own business and when some one attacks us simply destroy them.
That’s what Ron Paul and Pat Buchanan have been advocating for the longest time. Look where it got them...
How about no aid to the pakistanis. Anymore retaliations and we do the same.
We are almost at war with Pakistan. Not yet declared but every intrusion of the terrorists from Pakistan into Afghan will be considered an act of war. Pakistan only allowed us to attack the terrorists on their land was because they milked us for military equipment and the millions in aid. Cut them off and target every military installation and the nukes for destruction if they continue supporting the enemy.
It's worse than that... Islamabad just put the crosshairs on him by making him a target for kidnapping or assassination. I wonder if all the Valerie Plame boosters in the Media will get their panties in a bunch over this one? Nah!
RE: Maybe, just maybe it is time for us to take President Washington’s advice and mind our own business and when some one attacks us simply destroy them.
That’s what Ron Paul and Pat Buchanan have been advocating for the longest time. Look where it got them...
Yup, our public schools have done a good job.
Not to worry
Matt Appuzo, Washington Post, with help from the Ass Press, outed the name, position and role in planning the Bin Laden raid, of the station chief in a “Memorial Day” article for today’s Washington Post
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.