ABBOTTABAD, Pakistan -The Pakistani who owned the compound that sheltered Osama bin Laden in his final years said he was buying the property for an uncle, according to the doctor who sold a piece of the land in 2005.
The man was identified in property records as Mohammad Arshad; neighbors said one of two Pakistani men living in the house went by the name Arshad Khan. The two names apparently refer to the same man and both names may be fake. But one thing is clear ââ¬â bin Laden relied on a small, trusted inner circle as lifelines to the outside who provided for his daily needs such as food and medicine and kept his location secret. And it appears they did not betray him.
Among those in that inner circle were Arshad and another man who has been identified as either his brother or cousin. Arshad is suspected as the courier who ultimately led the Americans to bin Laden, unwittingly, after years of painstaking tracking. American officials said the courier and his brother were killed in the American commando raid Monday in the northwestern Pakistani town of Abbottabad.
As new details have begun to emerge about bin Laden's hiding place, Pakistani officials have stepped up their denials that they knew where the al-Qaida leader was located.
Many countries, including the United States, have expressed disbelief that bin Laden could have holed up in Abbottabad, an army town that is just two hours drive from the capital, without being detected. U.S. officials have long criticized Pakistan, a key but difficult ally, for failing to target Islamist militants on its territory.
Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said Wednesday that anyone who claimed his country hid bin Laden was color blind.
During a visit to Paris, Gilani said that Pakistan shared intelligence with numerous countries in the fight against terrorism and had excellent cooperation with the United States. He said that if we have failed, it means everybody failed, and an investigation would be ordered.
In the meantime, attention has focused on Arshad and his sidekick, who both watched over bin Laden.
The true identities of the two confidants and their exact links to other high ranking al-Qaida figures remain one of the biggest mysteries surrounding the terror leader. But more information about Arshad emerged Wednesday.
See full article from DailyFinance: http://srph.it/kiWWWE
The man was identified in property records as Mohammad Arshad; neighbors said one of two Pakistani men living in the house went by the name Arshad Khan. The two names apparently refer to the same man and both names may be fake. But one thing is clear ââ¬â bin Laden relied on a small, trusted inner circle as lifelines to the outside who provided for his daily needs such as food and medicine and kept his location secret. And it appears they did not betray him.
Among those in that inner circle were Arshad and another man who has been identified as either his brother or cousin. Arshad is suspected as the courier who ultimately led the Americans to bin Laden, unwittingly, after years of painstaking tracking. American officials said the courier and his brother were killed in the American commando raid Monday in the northwestern Pakistani town of Abbottabad.
As new details have begun to emerge about bin Laden's hiding place, Pakistani officials have stepped up their denials that they knew where the al-Qaida leader was located.
Many countries, including the United States, have expressed disbelief that bin Laden could have holed up in Abbottabad, an army town that is just two hours drive from the capital, without being detected. U.S. officials have long criticized Pakistan, a key but difficult ally, for failing to target Islamist militants on its territory.
Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said Wednesday that anyone who claimed his country hid bin Laden was color blind.
During a visit to Paris, Gilani said that Pakistan shared intelligence with numerous countries in the fight against terrorism and had excellent cooperation with the United States. He said that if we have failed, it means everybody failed, and an investigation would be ordered.
In the meantime, attention has focused on Arshad and his sidekick, who both watched over bin Laden.
The true identities of the two confidants and their exact links to other high ranking al-Qaida figures remain one of the biggest mysteries surrounding the terror leader. But more information about Arshad emerged Wednesday.
See full article from DailyFinance: http://srph.it/kiWWWE
