This Panetta jerk gets paid for these revelations?!
Posted on 01/27/2012 5:06:54 PM PST by jazusamo
60 Minutes/Panetta Video at link. 1 1/2 minutes.
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta says he believes government authorities in Pakistan knew about the whereabouts of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
"I personally have always felt that somebody must have had some sense of what was happening at this compound," said Panetta about the fugitive's hideout in an interview to air Sunday on CBS's 60 Minutes.
The terrorist leader was killed by U.S. Navy SEALs in a raid on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan in May. The operation was carried out without the cooperation of Pakistani authorities.
"Don't forget, this compound had 18-foot walls. It was the largest compound in the area. So you would have thought that somebody would have asked the question, ‘What the hell's going on there?’” said Panetta.
Pakistan's government has denied knowing that bin Laden was hiding in a military garrison town 30 miles from the capital city of Islamabad.
Panetta said the U.S. did not alert the Pakistanis to the secret operation because of fears they might tip off the elusive bin Laden.
"We had seen some military helicopters actually going over this compound," said Panetta.
"It concerned us that... they might... give bin Laden a heads up."
Panetta added, "I don't have any hard evidence, so I can't say it for a fact. There's nothing that proves the case. But, as I said, my personal view is that somebody somewhere probably had that knowledge.”
Tensions between the U.S. and Pakistan have grown since the successful raid, which Pakistan viewed as an affront to the its sovereignty.
In August a skirmish on the Afghan border between U.S. forces and Pakistani troops left 24 Pakistanis killed by a NATO air strike, which led to a further deterioration in relations.
“Officials in Pakistan had to know about bin Laden”
And officials in America ‘had to know’.
Counter terrorism is a dirty business. Almost as dirty as politics...
yet your people still send money to them.
This Panetta jerk gets paid for these revelations?!
There's absolutely no doubt you're correct.
BTTT
Even after we captured all those notes and hard drives? And didn't they say that Bin Laden was carrying some phone numbers?
He ain't going to reveal his "personal" feelings unless he has documentation to back him up. Not in his current position.
Still don't believe them. No president takes a 50-50 chance with 20 seals. Osama was no longer functioning...Just a big photo op for Obama.
What a bold and brilliant assertion by Panetta!
He should be both SOD and Head of the CIA/ sarc
Of course they did!
The ISI knows how to keep a secret, especially from the Army and political operatives. Pakistan is one big gossip festival that we listen in on heavily.
Likely very few ISI knew.
The cell phones collected in the raid would have given Panetta the “hard evidence” he says he does not have.
Panetta does not lie, he is too careful for that, would have declined to comment first.
The Paks were genuinely surprised at the raid. Pak helos rarely ever fly at night, yet only local police responded to our downed helo for about 6 hours after the raid when Pak Air Force and Army personnel finally arrived.
If there was any significant knowledge by the ISI, they would certainly have been watching the compound and would have scrambled.
There was no Pak intel or military scramble at all. They never even turned on their W looking radar on to watch us go away.
There was absolute and total surprise, a classic raid.
There was certainly general knowledge by the ISI that UBL was in the general area. But that compound was built and lived in for many years before UBL showed up.
They grew their own vegetables to limit trips outside. The reason for the high walls was most likely to prevent ISI and Pak Army surveillance as high walls would mean nothing to us and our satellites and AQ knows that only too well.
Skinny, tall and ugly was living for several years next door to the Pakis’ war college.
This is why Leo gets paid the big bucks ...
“Knowledge Is Good “ Faber College/CIA motto
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