Pakistan: “No” To U.S. Bin Laden Strike
Pakistan has again said it opposes any military strike by the United States against Osama Bin Laden, if he is confirmed to be in Pakistan.
Foreign minister Khurshid Kasuri told the BBC public opinion in his country would not tolerate such an attack.
He said he was concerned that any US operation against Bin Laden could lead to dozens of civilian deaths.
Washington has said nothing can be ruled out in the pursuit of the al-Qaeda leader.
White House spokesman Tony Snow said the US recognised Pakistan’s sovereignty, but the Bush administration always maintained the option of striking actionable targets.
Earlier Mr Kasuri had said that Bin Laden was not in Pakistan.
‘Safe haven’
US director of national intelligence Mike McConnell said recently he believed the architect of the 11 September 2001 attacks on the US was in northern Pakistan, near the Afghan border.
Meanwhile, a recent US intelligence report says al-Qaeda is intensifying efforts to put operatives into the US.
The report says the nation is at a heightened risk of attack.
Analysts warn that al-Qaeda’s leaders have found a “safe haven” in Pakistani tribal areas, which has allowed them to regroup.
The BBC’s Ilyas Khan in Islamabad says a raging debate is continuing in Pakistan over US national intelligence reports that point to the consolidation of the al-Qaeda in the country’s tribal areas.
President Pervez Musharraf last week vowed to root out extremists “from every corner of the country”.
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Thats ok.. He can publicly say this to pacify the natives. It’s what he doesn’t say publicly that matters.
“You may fire when ready commander” comes to mind.
July 23rd, 2007 at 11:23 pmI say we become one with “plausible denaibility” on this one. We buy a bunch of chinese weapons & make it look like the Iranians are trying to take over. Bin Laden get’s iced in a “tribal accident”.
There’s probably enough loopholes in the Koran that we could even sell it as Allah’s will, too.
Just a thought. Maybe I lost my head.
K
July 24th, 2007 at 2:55 amUm, destroy Pakistan and Iran pls?
July 24th, 2007 at 4:51 pmQuite perplexing considering Musharref is already under immense pressure not to cooperate with the Americans. I hope it is as GBU43 states, “It’s what he doesn’t say publicly that matters. ‘You may fire when ready commander” comes to mind.’”
I personally feel that bin Laden will be dead by ‘09. I think we’ll find him in Pakistan and kill him without a moment’s hesitation.
July 25th, 2007 at 6:37 am“Dozens of civilian deaths.” And leaving him alive would result in the eventual deaths of how many dozens of thousands of civilians?
July 28th, 2007 at 11:15 am9/11 was not planned by Osama bin Laden, he merely approved it. The guy who planned it was Khalid Sheikh who currently is in Guantanamo jail. The Pakistanis captured him and handed him over to US. How can anyone justify attacking a country which captured the mastermind of 9/11 and lost soldiers in doing so. Every military strike based on faulty intelligence leads to death of innocents which creates more terrorists half of whom head to Afghanistan blowing themselves up, Afghans and American soldiers. The other half heads to Pakistanis cities and blows up Pakistani civilians and soldiers. Reliable intelligence cannot be generated through bickering but rather good co-operation within allies. The Americans found Saddam, the Pakistanis got Khalid Sheikh but in both cases it took a considerable period of time.
August 16th, 2007 at 7:48 pm