Was Osama killed by hunt or by a set-up?

In the Hollywood movies we see a shootout set-up on a dangerous criminal who is now in the custody of law enforcement agency because the police had made a deal with him to provide him protection, criminal cooperated with the agency and now as the agency’s mission is over the criminal is no more required to be alive, criminal is shot dead by a police set-up, later police declared the criminal was killed when trying to escape.

Operation to kill Osama Bin Laden, as declared, by United States’ special task force is not looking different than a police encounter. American special task force entered into Pakistan’s territory from Afghanistan, launched an operation on a house located just 50km away from the capital of Pakistan, taken the dead body of the subject and thrown in the sea, mission accomplished and the victory announced by the head of the state. Was that so simple, then how come it took 10 years for United States and its allies? Of course, there is another real story behind the apparent story. Movie-style murder of Osama Bin Laden left many unanswered questions, for example;

- Has Osama Bin Laden really been killed in a hunt operation or has he been killed by a planned encounter when he was no more required from the protected hideout?

- According to sources, USA is in the process of making a deal with the Taliban? Was this deal still possible had Osama been alive?

- According to US sources, CIA knew this location of Osama Bin Laden since last August, then what were they waiting for the last 9 months?

- Pakistani army has already been operating military operations in the northern parts of Pakistan. Therefore, they could have done this operation and achieved the same results, why US special task force were given this operation and as claimed why it was kept secret from Pakistani agencies?

- Why images of Osama’s dead body and deadly operation were not released to the media and why he was buried in the sea mysteriously? And so on…

American, European and Australian forces had already announced the schedule of the withdrawal of their forces from Afghanistan by the mid of 2011. According to many analysts, observers and even some of the heads of allied forces in Afghanistan said that the army operation by US-Allied forces in Afghanistan is going nowhere, even Taliban’s volume is continuously growing and now summer season is starting for Taliban & Al-Quaeda to launch fresh attacks on foreign forces. In the last 3 years, Taliban have expanded their battle fields into Pakistan – entire Pakistan is now under the waves of terrorism. According to the Western media sources, currently, United States through CIA is negotiating with the Taliban secretly to install their government in Kabul if Taliban promise to stop attacks on western personnel and spreading terrorism in the West. Yet, between the Taliban and United States, Osama Bin Laden was the snag. It was obvious that this is in the interest of Osama Bin Laden and his Al-Quaeda network that Taliban should not shake hands with United States and make any kind of settlement with the United States. Therefore, how to get rid of Osama Bin Laden was the key issue by the parties involved in the deal whether it was Taliban, CIA or ISI.

Everyone knows in Pakistan that the city of Abbottabad – located just 50km from the capital Islamabad - is known by military establishment. Most of the land has been occupied by cantonment authority running defence training centres, head offices and other confidential offices. No one will believe that the Pakistani agencies wouldn’t be aware of any suspicious activities that would be taking place within Abbottabad. According to the local residents and neighbours of the mansion where Osama Bin Ladin was killed with some his family members that this huge house was a surreptitious place, no one knew who was living there, who was coming and going. The army training centre was only a kilometre away where Army Chiefs often visit. Therefore, it is not possible that the Pakistani law enforcement agencies and ISI, especially in this terrible time for Pakistan, wouldn’t bother about the activities within the house, or never required to find out who was living and what was happening in the house.

A week ago, General Ashfaq Kiani, Chief of Army, in an army function, while addressing to the audience said that Pakistani forces have broken down Al-Qaueda network and very soon victory would prevail. In the last couple weeks, there had been eye-opening visits and meetings seen between ISI Chief, CIA Chief, Pakistani, Afghani and American high ranking officials in Islamabad, Kabul and Washington. Observers were already predicting that there might be high-level deals taking place between Islamabad, Kabul and Washington.

It is very much understandable why Pakistani forces put themselves away from the claim of successful operation of killing of Osama Bin Laden. Currently, Pakistan is already in the war against the terrorists and fanatics groups and did not want to multiply her existing problems by making more enemies from the Al-Quaeda and fanatic groups. Oppositely, it was in the interest of the Washington particularly for President Barak Obama, himself, to claim the eventual victory in the 10 years old military operations on the name of war against terrorism in Afghanistan before they pack-up and leave Afghanistan respectfully. Secondly, President Obama has not yet done anything special, internally, to attract the voters for the next election. Therefore, for multiple reasons this was the perfect time for President Obama to eliminate Osama Bin Laden and pronounce victorious on Afghanistan.

Therefore, in my analysis, ISI and CIA already knew the hideouts of Osama Bin Laden. Even there are obvious reasons that Osama Bin Laden was in hiding under some secret hands of ISI and CIA was aware of the realities. The deal between CIA and ISI was not getting through because they were not making successful deal with the Taliban as fate of Osama and Al-Quaeda’s fiasco was the key issue for Taliban. The news are also coming that CIA and ISI are now agreeing to install Taliban government in Kabul. Therefore, the only way the deal between CIA, ISI and Taliban could prevail if Osama Bin Laden should be removed from the way out. Hence, the operation to kill Osama was a set-up by CIA and ISI on the will of Washington and Islamabad.

Anyway, Osama Bin Laden’s chapter is closed now and it is hoped that Al-Quaeda will be dead as well. The common people whether they belong to in Afghanistan, Pakistan or in United States will never benefit to the dirty games of secret services of Pakistan and United States. War in Afghanistan and military operations in the northern parts of Pakistan will never help the people of Pakistan and Afghanistan neither the secret deals. According to reports, 10 years war in Afghanistan and the last 3 years operations in northern parts of Pakistan led to the killing of hundreds and thousands of innocent people and dislocated millions. According to reports, Pakistan has lost the lives of more than 5000 soldiers in the deadly military operations. Entire Pakistan is a home of terrorists now. Innocent people are being killed every day in bomb blasts. The people in the West particularly in United States are also losing their love ones fighting in Afghanistan for the war which has no ending. In the West or East, people are sick of reading the conspiracy theories and bloody stories and need peace and harmony. (Writer is a Sydney-based journalist and a media analyst, his homepage is www.sauhassan.com )

Syed Atiq ul Hassan, JP,
M.Sc (Comp Tech), B.Sc (Hons), M.A (Eco), LLB, Dip Journalism
Sydney-based Journalist, Foreign Correspondent & Media Analyst,
Homepage: www.sauhassan.com

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