Pakistan knew of Osama raid, denies to avoid backlash: Global Post

Pakistan knew of the US Navy SEALs raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound, unnamed Pakistani officials told the Global Post.

In fact, the Pakistani military provided tactical support by sealing off the neighborhood surrounding bin Laden’s compound. Moreover, two hours before the raid, they told residents in the neighborhood to shut off all lights and remain inside until further notice.

BBC also reported that neighboring residents said the military asked them to shut off the lights an hour before the raid took place.

Furthermore, Pakistani military officials said it was impossible for US helicopters to fly to the compound without the knowledge of the Pakistani military, contradicting Pakistan’s official story, which is that the helicopters exploited a blind spot in Pakistani radar coverage.

The Global Post also said that several high profile meetings between US and Pakistani military officials and among Pakistani intelligence and military officials in April “indicate that Pakistan might have known of the operation beforehand” when viewed in conjunction with the other evidence presented above.

The reason Pakistan wanted to deny its assistance to the US military was to avoid a public backlash.

There are those in Pakistan and Middle Eastern countries who regarded bin Laden as a hero of the Muslim world. Moreover, the Pakistani public has “grown increasingly impatient with the United States and the growing presence of the Central Intelligence Agency inside their country,” said the Global Post, citing analysts in Pakistan.