London: Former Afghanistan’s intelligence chief has revealed that Afghanistan had been informed Pakistan that Osama Bin Laden hideaway in an area close to Abbottabad four years back.
Amrullah Saleh said Pakistan’s then President Pervez Musharraf categorically rejected Osama hideout tip, and no action was taken after the claim was furiously rejected by Pakistan’s president, The Guardian reported.
He said Afghan intelligence agents worked out that the world’s most wanted man must be inside Pakistan proper, rather than the semi-autonomous tribal areas, as early in 2004.
“I was pretty sure he was in the settled areas of Pakistan because in 2005 it was still very easy to infiltrate the tribal areas, and we had massive numbers of informants there,” he said. “They could find any Arab but not Bin Laden.”
Afghanistan’s Intelligence had confirmed report that in 2007 Osama Bin Laden was hiding in Manshera, a town close from Abbottabad.
In a meeting with Musharraf and Hamid Karzai the Pakistani president became furious and smashed his fist down on the table. “He said, ‘Am I the president of the Republic of Banana?'” ” Saleh recalled. “Then he turned to President Karzai and said, ‘Why have you have brought this Musharraf to teach me intelligence?'”
Afghanistan’s former top spy also said he had no doubts that Mullah Omar, the leader of the Taliban movement, was hiding in a safe house owned by the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the Pakistani spy agency, in the city of Karachi.
“He is protected by ISI, General Pasha [Lieutenant-General Ahmad Shuja Pasha, director-general of the ISI] knows as I am talking to you where is Mullah Omar and he keeps daily briefs from his officers about the location of senior Taliban leaders, simple,” he said.
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