No Evidence Pakistan Helped bin Laden: U.S. Security Adviser

There's no evidence that Pakistan government officials helped and protected bin Laden, claimed John Brennan, Deputy National Security adviser and President Barack Obama's chief counter-terrorism adviser.

Brennan told reporters at a Thursday morning briefing, I have not seen anything that the Pakistanis were aiding his refuge there.”

In May, bin Laden was found and killed by U.S. Navy SEALS in a large compound in the town of Abbottabad in northern Pakistan, near the capital Islamabad. Since that time, rumors have swirled that Pakistani intelligence officials had been aiding the former al-Qaeda terror chief as well as many other militants.

Brennan also said that based on examination of documents and data found and seized at Osama’s compound, it became apparent that bin Laden was a little out of touch about how debilitated his organization was'' after fighting for almost a decade against the U.S.

It did reveal an organization in distress,'' Brennan said.

Brennan also reportedly praised Pakistan’s offensive against terrorist groups operating the country and that Washington has a close working relationship with Islamabad in this joint effort.

He cited the recent arrest in Pakistan of Younis al-Mauritani, a senior al-Qaeda official, is proof that Islamabad is taking its responsibilities seriously.

He noted that al-Qaeda has taken it on the chin and has been degraded significantly over the past couple of years.

Brennan’s latest comments dramatically contradict assertions he made in May (just after the killing of Osama) when he declared that it was inconceivable that bin Laden did not have the support of officials within Pakistan.