The author expresses dismay at the apparent ease with which the public accepted the official account of Osama bin Laden's killing, laying out several key points that suggest a deeper cover-up or coordinated deception between the US and Pakistani governments.
The author concludes that the official story is the least plausible narrative. It is evident, they argue, that bin Laden was at the very least a guest, if not a prisoner, of the Pakistani security services. The text implies that serious scrutiny would have to examine not just what the Pakistanis knew, but what US intelligence agencies knew about bin Laden's whereabouts over the preceding nine years.
Furthermore, the focus Obama placed on finding bin Laden in 2009 raises the implication that targeting him was NOT a priority under the Bush administration, feeding into long-standing questions about bin Laden's historical connection to US intelligence during the 1980s.
1. Bin Laden's Suspicious Location
- Contradictory Claim: Contrary to past official claims that bin Laden was isolated or "holed up in a cave," he was found in a luxurious, custom-built compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
- Proximity to the Military: The compound was located a mere half-mile from the Pakistan Military Academy (the equivalent of West Point), in a city home to many high-ranking retired officers. This proximity raises the central question: How could he reside there for years without official knowledge?
2. The Compound's Overt Nature
- Obvious Fortress: Built in 2005, the structure was massive—eight times the size of its neighbors—and clearly visible in satellite photos.
- Extreme Security: It was heavily secured with walls as high as 18 feet, topped with barbed wire, and a seven-foot parapet around the top floor.
- Financial Red Flags: The house was valued at over $1 million, but the registered owners had "no explainable source of wealth." Additionally, the lack of phone/Internet access and the residents' practice of burning trash further emphasized the secrecy of the location.
3. Timing and Intelligence Gaps
- Conflicting Discovery Dates: President Obama claimed US intelligence only learned of the compound in August 2010.
- WikiLeaks Evidence: Diplomatic cables suggest the US government knew about the Abbottabad site as early as 2008, based on interrogations of an Al Qaeda leader (Abu al-Libi) who had been designated as a special messenger based in Abbottabad in 2003.
4. Pakistan's Questionable Role
- Disputed Assistance: Pakistani officials claimed they assisted in the raid, a claim immediately dismissed by Obama administration officials, who said Islamabad was only informed after the fact.
- Unnoticed Flight Path: The US Navy SEAL helicopters took off from a base in northwest Pakistan and flew straight into a major Pakistani military center (Abbottabad) in the middle of the night, supposedly without being noticed by the huge Pakistani military apparatus.
- Pre-Raid Meetings: Key US officials (Panetta and Petraeus) met with their top Pakistani counterparts (Pasha and Kayani) just weeks before the attack. A week prior, General Kayani even gave a commencement speech just a few hundred yards from bin Laden’s house, claiming his forces had “broken the back” of militants.
5. The Hurried Disposal of the Body
- The "Cover-Up Smell": The official explanation that the US military dumped the body at sea within 24 hours out of "deep respect for Muslim religious precepts" is deemed implausible and "doesn't pass the laugh test."
- urried nature of the disposal suggests a cover-up, likening the aftermath more to a "gangland hit" than a transparent military operation.
- Suspicion: The h
Conclusion Drawn by the Author
The author concludes that the official story is the least plausible narrative. It is evident, they argue, that bin Laden was at the very least a guest, if not a prisoner, of the Pakistani security services. The text implies that serious scrutiny would have to examine not just what the Pakistanis knew, but what US intelligence agencies knew about bin Laden's whereabouts over the preceding nine years.
Furthermore, the focus Obama placed on finding bin Laden in 2009 raises the implication that targeting him was NOT a priority under the Bush administration, feeding into long-standing questions about bin Laden's historical connection to US intelligence during the 1980s.
