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Bin Laden lies low, protected in Pakistan

CommentsComment on this article
Jun 18, 2007 10:37 AM (482 days ago) by Rowan Scarborough, The Examiner
» 482 days ago: Bin Laden lies low, protected in Pakistan «
This story ranks # 2,717 of 5,716
Related Topics: WASHINGTON
This undated photo shows Osama bin Laden who is said to be in Afghanistan at the time the picture was taken in early 2005. The United States has firm evidence bin Laden is alive based on interrogations of captured al Qaeda members and intercepted communications in which known terrorists talk about him, a military intelligence source told The Examiner.
(AP)
This undated photo shows Osama bin Laden who is said to be in Afghanistan at the time the picture was taken in early 2005. The United States has firm evidence bin Laden is alive based on interrogations of captured al Qaeda members and intercepted communications in which known terrorists talk about him, a military intelligence source told The Examiner.

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has surrounded himself in a protective network of Islamic supporters in the vast tribal areas of western Pakistan, complicating the hunt for America's most wanted criminal, U.S. intelligence officials say.

The United States has firm evidence bin Laden is alive based on interrogations of captured al Qaeda members and intercepted communications in which known terrorists talk about him, a military intelligence source told The Examiner.

"We get a lot of chatter one or two levels of management below bin Laden that refers to him as 'the Sheik,' 'the esteemed leader,'" said the source, who asked not to be named because he is discussing sensitive intelligence. "We believe him to be alive based on some of the people we have captured who have said that."

The source said the United States has picked up no credible information that bin Laden is dead.

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The CIA late last year captured Abd Hadi al-Iraqi, believed to be one of the closest al Qaeda operatives to bin Laden. The United States interrogated al-Iraqi for several months before sending him to the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Over five years ago, bin Laden crossed the border from Afghanistan's Tora Bora mountain region to find refuge among like-minded tribal leaders in Pakistan.

Bin Laden's voice has not been picked up in any communication intercept since he was heard by the United States on a short-range radio in Tora Bora.

"He is someone who is very concerned about his personal safety and security and takes measures to insure his profile is low," said a U.S. intelligence official. "This is not to mention his physical location, which makes attempts to locate an individual difficult. The fact is he has a support network, people who sympathize with him."

The CIA in 2005 closed Alec Station, the office in Northern Virginia dedicated to tracking bin Laden. It was part of a reorganization of the CIA's Counter Terrorism Center, which has field offices, including one in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region.

"The work of Alec Station never stopped or diminished, rather it transitioned to other organizational elements within CTC," a former CIA officer told The Examiner.

P.J. Crowley, a military analyst at the Center for American Progress and a former national security aide to President Clinton, said the Iraq war has diverted assets that could be used to find bin Laden.

"Now that he is in the tribal areas, I doubt that a bounty of any number will be helpful," Crowley said "Given tribal relationships, they will protect him."

rscarborough@dcexaminer.com


» 482 days ago: Bin Laden lies low, protected in Pakistan «

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Comments from Examiner Readers

9:00 AM MST on Sat., Jul. 14, 2007 re: "Bin Laden lies low, protected in Pakistan"

 Examiner Reader said:
harry is not in iran because their lunitic leader dont like competition.he is probably living in a house in a larger city in pakistanwith few people upper class professional,we need to turn a few afgans or paks to get him,along with a few specialist,i would look for a rich zealot with a estate.

 181 agree | 178 disagree
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6:56 AM MST on Tue., Jul. 3, 2007 re: "Bin Laden lies low, protected in Pakistan"

 Examiner Reader said:
come on,where did all of your brains went? here's the situation..i suspect that bin laden is paid by president bush or some government dudes to keep staying in iraq,so..president bush can continue to sanction US troops at iraq..and they cant grow..and cant really sell off their oil.. see..if iraq sell their oil..which they have ..alot...imagine what the price of the oil will become...BOOMB!!!go downwards..and the US is selling oil to all countries also...so...there's a connection..think first..

 179 agree | 180 disagree
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8:05 AM MST on Tue., Jun. 19, 2007 re: "Bin Laden lays low, protected in Pakistan"

 Examiner Reader said:
No one will give up Bin Laden because of the tribal nature of this region. Do you realize that in Iraq over 40% of the women marry their uncle. I am sure it is the same in this part of Pakistan. Loyalty is to the tribe not the country. No one will betray their family.

 165 agree | 152 disagree
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7:36 AM MST on Tue., Jun. 19, 2007 re: "Bin Laden lays low, protected in Pakistan"

 Examiner Reader said:
To the post 8:01 PM MST on Mon 6.18.2007 GET ALL THE FACTS If a Muslim nation had a consistent history of violence against various Christian nations, we'd attack them, right? Are you crazy? Go back as far as you want, Christain "violence" against Muslims has ALWAYS been a cause-and-effect. The Muslims cause an attack and Christians effectively kick their @sses. Look at every conflict in the world and see how many are Muslim vs. (Non-Muslim). My tax money? Buy 50 MOABS and drop them all over that Pakistani region and then go in and see what's left alive - and kill them. Next?

 227 agree | 180 disagree
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7:33 AM MST on Tue., Jun. 19, 2007 re: "Bin Laden lays low, protected in Pakistan"

 Examiner Reader said:
To the post 8:01 PM MST on Mon 6.18.2007 GET ALL THE FACTS The UN and coalition attacked Iraq in Desert Storm. Saddam took over in a bloody coup, which the U.S. denounced (we did support him against Iran AFTER). Shah & Egypt - correct - that was good strategy (yes, for oil). Then you go off the DEEP END! Post WWII creation of Israel was not "by the U.S." but by the world orgs which became the UN. From that SAME process, Iraq, Iran and Jordan were also CREATED. Land taken by Israel after its creation was a result of defeating unprovoked attacks. There was no Palestine! There should be no Palestine! There are no Palestenians! They are Jordanian refugees kicked out by their own country under Arafat because they were dissidents there. Send them BACK to Jordan. Maybe you should read a history book once in a while, but alas, you were probably educated in a Democrat funded public school.

 166 agree | 163 disagree
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7:24 AM MST on Tue., Jun. 19, 2007 re: "Bin Laden lays low, protected in Pakistan"

 Examiner Reader said:
i bet if the US gets involved in a war with the middle east and they send all there troops there...china invades taiwan and n korea takes the south

 205 agree | 150 disagree
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7:16 AM MST on Tue., Jun. 19, 2007 re: "Bin Laden lays low, protected in Pakistan"

 Examiner Reader said:
lets face it people...the US is the underdog in WWlll...if we start doing stupid stuff, bombing iran or pakistan, we will spark a powder keg eruption and get the east involved...not the pussy middle east...india, china, russia, korea...iran and the rest of the mid east are not the big threats right now...lets continue to do what we are doing, even though it is slow and see if it works...it will take time but things will slow. they are starting to now even though it seems they are getting worse over there we are making improvement on colonizing the middle east, look at the "american suburbs" starting to thrive over seas...once the average joes start getting a peice of it they will change there way of living...compare our way of life and theres...which would you choose...im not for war and colonizing but i do like the way i live and will not change it.

 223 agree | 161 disagree
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7:13 AM MST on Tue., Jun. 19, 2007 re: "Bin Laden lays low, protected in Pakistan"

 Anonymous said:
This may be a distraction,or attraction..but the authorities that are involved must also pay close attention to it.You'll never know what happens in this world,Bin Laden may be dead or alive but we still must pay attention to it in order to maintain global safety and for all countries' good.What if suddenly Bin Laden organizes the largest and strongest sudden attack on United States? The world's safety will be crippled..thus..we must be alert

 177 agree | 178 disagree
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6:59 AM MST on Tue., Jun. 19, 2007 re: "Bin Laden lays low, protected in Pakistan"

 Examiner Reader said:
The man is DEAD. We have not heard from him in years. He is only kept alive the governmentas a boogy man.

 167 agree | 166 disagree
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6:28 AM MST on Tue., Jun. 19, 2007 re: "Bin Laden lays low, protected in Pakistan"

 johnjjh said:
Actually, we have known where Bin Laden is for some time. He is living safely in Eastern Iran, a guest of the Iranian government - in a secure location. If he were still in Pakistan, our special forces would have captured or killed him a long time ago. The real problem is that Iran has been at war with the US for some time, but we refuse to declare war on them. The only way to stop all of the chaos in the middle east is for us to attack Iran and destroy their economy and ability to build nuclear weapons. The US Air Force would describe Iran as a target-rich environment. There is no need for a ground invasion, just a carefully planned air campaign, using all of our considerable resources. Iraq will never be stable as long as Iran is supplying and training the forces of chaos in the middle east.

 171 agree | 169 disagree
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6:16 AM MST on Tue., Jun. 19, 2007 re: "Bin Laden lays low, protected in Pakistan"

 Examiner Reader said:
Bin Laden is safe as long as Bush is President

 211 agree | 176 disagree
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5:00 AM MST on Tue., Jun. 19, 2007 re: "Bin Laden lays low, protected in Pakistan"

 Examiner Reader said:
If bin Laden is in Pakistan, and Pervez Musharraf won't let our soldiers hunt for him, to me, that's harboring and protecting bin Laden, and makes Musharraf no different than the Taliban leaders who harbored bin Laden in Pakistan. The Pakistani border should be stormed, and we should not stop until bin Laden is hanging at the end of a rope here in the United States. Maybe the next Democrat to take the White House in 2008 will do a better job of finding the real terrorists, and not waste his/her time on a pointless war.

 173 agree | 164 disagree
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10:40 PM MST on Mon., Jun. 18, 2007 re: "Bin Laden lays low, protected in Pakistan"

 Examiner Reader said:
Of course the government of Pakistan is aware of Bin Laden hiding in their midst. At the beginning of the Afghan war when ever anyone got close to grabbing him the Pakistan army would warn him. Why because Bin Laden is their hero. They have no love for the West, we are not of Islam. Today thousands of Pakistanis rioted and burned the British flag. Why? Because as a free thinking country the Brits knighted Salman Rushdie for ALL his literary works not just one book. Ijaz-ul-Haq the Minister of Religious Affairs said,"If somebody has to attack by strapping bombs to his body to protect the honor of the Prophet then it is justified." Sound familiar? Is this not the rational(?) of al-Queda and Bin Laden?

 210 agree | 162 disagree
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8:34 PM MST on Mon., Jun. 18, 2007 re: "Bin Laden lays low, protected in Pakistan"

 Examiner Reader said:
Osama Bin Laden is dead! He's only being kept "alive" to facilitate the current White House Administration and their attempts to keep 9/11 alive for their political purposes and for Rudy Guliani. If there is one more terrorist attack in the US Rudy will be the next President of the USA. So, the next attack will most likely be sponsored by the White House.

 159 agree | 228 disagree
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8:23 PM MST on Mon., Jun. 18, 2007 re: "Bin Laden lays low, protected in Pakistan"

 Examiner Reader said:
Osama bin Laden . The Democrats friend in 2008

 207 agree | 152 disagree
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8:01 PM MST on Mon., Jun. 18, 2007 re: "Bin Laden lays low, protected in Pakistan"

 Examiner Reader said:
Before bin Laden attacked America, America had already attacked Iraq once, helped install a brutal dictator (Saddam) in Iraq, helped install a brutal dictator (the Shah) in Iran, lent material support to the brutal dictatorship of the Sheiks in Egypt (where bin Laden is from), and lent material support to the brutal military theft and occupation by Israel of parts of Jordan and Syria (politely called the "occupied territories" today) after helping Israel brutally drive millions of now-refugees off their homeland of Palestine. If a Muslim nation had a consistent history of violence against various Christian nations, we'd attack them, right? Well, America - a Christian nation - has a history of violence against various Muslim nations. So he attacked us. Pay more attention where your taxes are spent, where your soldiers are deployed, and generally what your govt does in your name overseas. It might not be what you want or expect.

 185 agree | 225 disagree
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7:48 PM MST on Mon., Jun. 18, 2007 re: "Bin Laden lays low, protected in Pakistan"

 Examiner Reader said:
If we spent as much money and as many troops hunting down BinLaden as we did in Iraq, is there any doubt in anyone's mind that we would have caught BinLaden by now? But instead, someone decided it was a good idea to make a half-assed effort with a few thousand US troops and hire a bunch of local mercenaries/thugs who ended up leading us in circles and switching sides when our backs were turned (surprise). I mean, what was more important? Chasing down Saddam, who was supposed to be in league with BinLaden (which any mideast expert would tell you made no sense) or chasing down BinLaden himself? Duh. "w" should give HIMSELF a Presidential Medal of Freedom for a job well done: good job Bushy!

 168 agree | 181 disagree
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7:03 PM MST on Mon., Jun. 18, 2007 re: "Bin Laden lays low, protected in Pakistan"

 Examiner Reader said:
Bin Laden lives in Hollywood...

 161 agree | 151 disagree
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6:21 PM MST on Mon., Jun. 18, 2007 re: "Bin Laden lays low, protected in Pakistan"

 Examiner Reader said:
Bush is not capable of leading any war and has abdicated his responsibilities. He is selling-out the American people with his open borders BS and is selling-out our troops with "rules of engagement" and prosecutions that ensure we can never win. We need to carpet-bomb this area with B-52's rendering it a "dead-zone NOW. As someone who once voted for this arrogant clown, we need to impeach him- He is a traitor to the American people.

 231 agree | 163 disagree
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6:03 PM MST on Mon., Jun. 18, 2007 re: "Bin Laden lays low, protected in Pakistan"

 Examiner Reader said:
Saddam was a much greater threat

 208 agree | 170 disagree
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4:54 PM MST on Mon., Jun. 18, 2007 re: "Bin Laden lays low, protected in Pakistan"

 Examiner Reader said:
This is what you call mindless irresponsible scaremongering. Bin Ladens last video with him in it came out in 2003 and he looked terrible in it. If Bin Laden has a pulse, why does he not release videos of himself? Instead, it is always somebody else. There are no videos of him because he is dead. Even in his life, he was on the CIA's payroll.

 206 agree | 166 disagree
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4:39 PM MST on Mon., Jun. 18, 2007 re: "Bin Laden lays low, protected in Pakistan"

 Examiner Reader said:
The tribal areas need to feel some heat. Protecting Bin Laden is an act of war. It Pakistan won't do it then hire someone who will.

 246 agree | 177 disagree
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4:22 PM MST on Mon., Jun. 18, 2007 re: "Bin Laden lays low, protected by network in Pakistan"

 Examiner Reader said:
Bin laden has been dead for years.

 254 agree | 160 disagree
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4:04 PM MST on Mon., Jun. 18, 2007 re: "Bin Laden lays low, protected by network in Pakistan"

 Examiner Reader said:
Bin Laden has an insurance policy guarenteeing his freedom. He informed us of a nuke in NYC to be detonated upon the event of his capture. Who among us is willing to call his bluff?

 207 agree | 177 disagree
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4:04 PM MST on Mon., Jun. 18, 2007 re: "Bin Laden lays low, protected by network in Pakistan"

 Examiner Reader said:
bin Laden has 4 wives, perhaps over 15 children, wives' parents, and grandchildren. That's a lot of people to keep hidden in a cave. After all the US dollars were thrown around in Afghanistan & Pakistan, and still no arrest, something is fishy.

 218 agree | 136 disagree
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4:02 PM MST on Mon., Jun. 18, 2007 re: "Bin Laden lays low, protected by network in Pakistan"

 Examiner Reader said:
I think the person who said he and Michael Moore are the same person may be onto something!

 231 agree | 150 disagree
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3:58 PM MST on Mon., Jun. 18, 2007 re: "Bin Laden lays low, protected by network in Pakistan"

 Examiner Reader said:
So why aren't we in Pakistan causing endless pain until they give him up? It certainly worked with Japan, who were into launching institutionalized suicide attacks too. And the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor wasn't nearly as bad as what Al Qaida did in New York on 9/11. Why aren't we invading Pakistan's tribal areas and causing misery?

 226 agree | 161 disagree
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3:55 PM MST on Mon., Jun. 18, 2007 re: "Bin Laden lays low, protected by network in Pakistan"

 Examiner Reader said:
I say nuke western Pakistan, and kill them all. No one will miss them.

 263 agree | 152 disagree
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3:47 PM MST on Mon., Jun. 18, 2007 re: "Bin Laden lays low, protected by network in Pakistan"

 Examiner Reader said:
Maybe he's hiding with the WMDs.

 225 agree | 235 disagree
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3:43 PM MST on Mon., Jun. 18, 2007 re: "Bin Laden lays low, protected by network in Pakistan"

 Examiner Reader said:
Maybe he's in Cuba with Michael Moore? Actually, I think Moore and Bin Laden may be the same person.

 244 agree | 167 disagree
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1:10 PM MST on Mon., Jun. 18, 2007 re: "Bin Laden lays low, protected by network in Pakistan"

 Examiner Reader said:
Which network? Al Jazeera?

 213 agree | 179 disagree
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