Osama being treated by Pak Army

The Times of India ^ | SATURDAY, JULY 24, 2004 12:56:40 PM | CHIDANAND RAJGHATTA

[Cronos]

WASHINGTON: Pakistan's intelligence officials knew in advance about the 9/11 attacks, a well-known American analyst has said, based on a ''stunning document'' that he claims was given by a Pakistani source to the 9/11 Commission on the eve of the publication of its report.

The document, from a high-level, but anonymous Pakistani source, also claims that Osama bin Laden has been receiving periodic dialysis in a military hospital in Peshawar, says Arnaud de Borchgrave, editor-at-large of the news agency UPI.

''The imprints of every major act of international Islamist terrorism invariably passes through Pakistan, right from 9/11 - where virtually all the participants had trained, resided or met in, coordinated with, or received funding from or through Pakistan,'' Borchgrave cites the confidential document as saying.

But one does not have to go to Borchgrave's unnamed sources to find Pakistan’s involvement in terrorist activity leading to 9/11. The 9/11 commission report itself nails Pakistan in chapter after chapter, revealing that the Pakistani intelligence was in cahoots with the Taliban and al Qaeda, far more than Iran and Iraq ever were.

Among the inquiry commission's observations, quoted verbatim here

* ''Pak[istan's] intel[ligence service] is in bed with bin Laden and would warn him that the United States was getting ready for a bombing campaign'' – quoting Richard Clarke

* ''Islamabad was behaving like a rogue state in two areas – backing Taliban/bin Laden terror and provoking war with India'' - quoting NSC Bruce Riedel

* Pakistani intelligence officers reportedly introduced bin Laden to Taliban leaders in Kandahar -Commission's own observation.

* Pakistan's military intelligence service, known as the ISID (Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate), was the Taliban's primary patron - Commission's observation

* Pakistan helped nurture the Taliban. The Pakistani army and intelligence services, especially below the top ranks, have long been ambivalent about confronting Islamist extremists. Many in the government have sympathized with or provided support to the extremists - Commission's observation.

[DoughtyOne]

Arnaud de Borchgrave is no lightweight.  He's been around for a long time, and I've always found him to be worthy of respect.

de Borchgave  Pronounced: de bor graav


Link to article, more exansive that above.

LINK

[SunkenCiv]

IMHO we all need to keep in mind that Pakistan (like Afghanistan) isn't all one ethnic group or religious sect, that the Pakistani army is still a third world army, that it recruits from all over the country, and winds up with regional forces instead of a coherent national army. Even in the US armed forces there are sometimes problems with treason -- not only the occasional desertion, but also the case of a couple of "Black Muslims" who sabotaged some piece of equipment on their ship -- which was in the SW Pacific at the time I think -- in solidarity with their "brothers" during the first Gulf War.

The president (and virtual dictator) of Pakistan has been shot at and had things explode around him, surviving a number of assassination attempts. He's trying to maintain control. He can't single out Moslems for investigation, because the country is predominantly (97 per cent) Moslem. Eventually we'll look back on these as the Good Old Days of our relationship with Pakistan. :')

[Dog Gone]

WASHINGTON, July 23: Pakistan on Friday denied a report claiming that its intelligence officers knew in advance of the Sept 11, 2001, attacks.

The report by Arnaud de Borchgrave, a journalist awarded by the Zia regime for his reporting on the Afghan war, also claimed that Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was treated at a military hospital in Peshawar.

A spokesman for the Pakistan embassy here denied that Osama had ever been treated "in any military hospital anywhere in Pakistan". "Reports based on unnamed intelligence sources are usually a figment of the writer's imagination," said Pakistan's deputy chief of mission, Mohammed Sadiq.

Asked to comment on the claim that Pakistan was aware of the Sept 11 attacks before they occurred, Mr Sadiq said: "This is basically the recycling of old charges. We have been working very closely with the United States administration and it is important to note that the US administration also has always rejected these charges as false.

No one seems to know these imaginary intelligence sources." Mr de Borchgrave, however, claimed that on the eve of the publication of its report, the 9/11 commission received a document from Pakistan showing that Pakistani intelligence officers knew in advance of the attacks.

The document showed that Osama had been receiving periodic dialysis treatment in a military hospital in Peshawar, he claimed. The document, according to the report, claimed that Pakistani intelligence had been actively facilitating the relocation of Al Qaeda from Afghanistan to Pakistan and that some serving and retired intelligence officers were still helping the network.

Such officers, the report said, had provided money and directions to militant groups, specially the Arab hijackers of 9/11 from Al Qaeda. The document, apparently, failed to impress the authors of the commission's report, who urged the US government to make a long-term commitment to Pakistan to ensure that it remained committed to the fight against terrorism.

Hi Pakistan

[Cronos]

that the Pakistani army is still a third world army

And what does that mean? It still operates English, French and American aircraft, tanks and other weapons.

[TN4Liberty]

An Indian paper accusing Pakistan of misdeeds. Ya have to start with at least a little skepticism, don't you?

[Cronos]

There's no such thing as a Third world army -- there is a technically developed army such as ours and the Brits and French and there are other kinds. Canada is a first world country but who do you think would win in a war between Canada and Pakistan in say Africa or even in Pakistan with no other nation helping out?

[Cronos]

IMHO we all need to keep in mind that Pakistan (like Afghanistan) isn't all one ethnic group or religious sect

The Pakis ACROSS ethnic groups support alQ. They are nearly totally slammies with the Christians a persecuted micro-minority.

[Squantos]

Agree.....this report is Camel Chit at best IMO.........Stay safe !

[Cronos]

An Indian paper accusing Pakistan of misdeeds. Ya have to start with at least a little skepticism, don't you?

Well, you would if the Indian papers were totalitarian mouthpieces, but they aren't. Also, most of the "accusations" have proven true over the years -- about the Pakis getting nukes from China, about the Pakis selling nukes to North Korea, Libya etc.

[PISANO]

Yet ISLAM is NOT our enemy. They ALL protect their own that is why we have NOT KNOWINGLY nailed him yet.

[Cronos]

Yet ISLAM is NOT our enemy

Err.. Earth to Pisano -- slam IS our enemy and has been the enemy since the 7th century.

[Iberian]

"high-level, but anonymous Pakistani source"

Keystone cops.

[TommyDale]

This was bounced around last week. Rita Cosby had a brief mention of it on her program. No news, just more rumors. He was said to be "near death" and that increased "chatter" has supposedly confirmed Bin Laden being treated and is in grave condition. Call us when the virgins arrive to take him home.

[Minutemen]

Level Pakistan!

[MizSterious]

Interesting FYI.

[xkaydet65]

He was at Newsweek way back when it was a real news mag. He was decidely anti communist. Defended the Vietnam War as the right cause. And always seemed to have an inside source that was usually on the money. He's been out of the mainstream for a while. I think he's associated with WND or Newsmax. I just wonder if he really continues to have sources since the guys he drank with in the hotel bars in Saigon have long since gone fishing.

[SunkenCiv]

the Pakistani army is still a third world army... And what does that mean?

It means, like most third world countries, Pakistan doesn't have any sense of national identity, only local loyalties based on faith, tribe, language...

[freekitty]

Hasn't Hitlery been known to kiss Pakastan's leader wife in front of the world?

[SunkenCiv]

The Pakis ACROSS ethnic groups support alQ.

Hmm, maybe that's why I spent a good chunk of my original post talking about how Pakistan's president is trying to do the right thing (except toward Kashmir) but has internal opposition.

[OPS4]

This is not a surprise. The President of Pakistan has had numerous attempts on his life. Any of us who beleives the countries in that region can take the side of true freedom while the Moslem zealots have guns and bombs in suicidal hands, would be at least mistaken.

The lines are unclear, but the enemy is Bin Laden and the horde that follows him, wherever they are hiding.

Ops4 God Bless America!