Operation Geronimo

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As a Pakistani, there have been several aspects of this operation that have simply confounded me, while there have been others that have re-affirmed what i already know. So Osama bin Laden was hiding in Pakistan & was gunned down in a high precision operation that can only be described as flawless. Not an outrageous surprise. We've thought for long that it is very much possible that OBL has been hiding here.

However, what is surprising is the fact that he was hiding in Abbotabad, a place with significant military presence due to Kakool military academy. I think we all expected him to be in the tribal belt instead, if at all he was in pakistan. More surprising has been the fact that he was hiding in a huge mansion which was one of a kind in abbotabad. Assuming that ISI knew about his presence and/or had been protecting him all along, why would it place him in such a distinctly obvious hideout? On the other hand, if the ISI didnt know about his presence, then how inept is this intelligence agency which is accredited for being one o fthe very best ion the world that they failed to run a surveillance of this place right under their nose? And if ISI defends itself by saying that due to XYZ reasons, they were not able to spot OBL there, then how was the US able to?

Whichever of these scenarios is actually true, it is obvious that there has been a major blunder by the pakistani intelligence agencies. Unless, of course, it was ISI which tracked him and shared the intel with U.S and out of fear of an Alqaeeda vengeance campaign, they have pleaded to the US to not reveal their involvement. And this scenario makes more sense. If indeed OBL was recovered from this mansion in Abbotabad, then he had definitely conducted a mistake by choosing a hideout so distinct. Someone was surely stupid in this whole episode and OBL is definitely it. Whether the ISI was involved or not, i guess only time will tell.

Comments

  1. haris20 November 2011 at 20:39

    The operation reminds me of the very "in"famous black hawk down incident (also known as battle of mogadishu), when the US army attacked The capital of Somalia to capture Aidad, the self proclaimed Somali president and the most feared warlord. The stealth operation consisted of some 150 US men in their choppers who had not informed their allies (read : Pakistan), who were part of the peacekeeping force. After the US forces ended up being trapped in a street battle with thousands of somalians, informed the Pakistani regiment to come in and provide cover for their safe exit. Maybe the US was hoping for the same backup plan.
    Interesting case in point and bit of topic, Aidad's son, Hussein became the president of Somalia after Aidad's death. For the one's who don't know him, he is a US citizen and served in the US marine :). Hopefully we don't find any similarities here.
    Interesting case in point

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