Singh in Kabul for talks after Osama's death

KABUL: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived in Afghanistan on Thursday for a two-day visit, including talks on the regional impact of Osama bin Laden's death and future aid projects, officials said. (AFP)

COAS stopped DG ISI from resigning

ISLAMABAD: Director General ISI, Lt General Ahmed Shuja Pasha Friday admitting failure in the Osama killing episode in Abbottabad, sought apology from the nation and added that he would resign if the parliament so demands, Geo News reported.

“The failure was not intentional but I admit that it was a mistake,” the ISI Chief said during the in-camera joint sitting of the parliament that was briefed by security and intelligence officials in the backdrop of the US unilateral assault in Abbottabad on May 2, 2011 that eliminated Osama bin Laden.

He said he considered himself answerable before the parliament and people. “Parliament is supreme and I am feeling relieved after presenting myself before it,” Lt Gen Pasha added.

The ISI Chief said he had made up his mind to resign after consulting his family but he was stopped from doing so by the Army Chief.

He told the parliamentarians that intelligence was shared with the US in connection with Osama bin Laden in 2004. But the US undertook operation in Abbottabad without informing Pakistan and it shook our confidence, he added.

“Now we are facing pressure from all sides …. our media is also criticizing,” he said.

Lt Gen Shuja Pasha said that investigation from Osama’s wife had been carried out, which revealed that bin Laden had been present in the Abbottabad compound for the past 5 years but he (Osama) did not come out from there for even once during this time.

At this point parliamentarians of Pakistan Muslim League-N, expressing concern, said lack of advanced technology could raise a number of questions on Pakistan’s defence capabilities.

Deputy Chief of Air Staff Operations Air Marshal, Muhammad Hassan said the US helicopters were equipped with highly sophisticated technology and escaped detection (by our radars). The US used stealth technology in Abbottabad operation and this technology is exclusively possessed by the US, he added and also said that Pakistan had started observing this technology.

Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman in reply to a question as to when the drone strikes will end, said that drones entering Pakistani air space would be struck down if such orders were issued.

CIA shows Osama's photos to some US lawmakers

WASHINGTON: The Central Intelligence Agency has begun showing lawmakers death photos of slain al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden that President Barack Obama said were too gruesome to be released to the public.

Senator James Inhofe, a Republican from Oklahoma, said he was shown 15 photographs taken of bin Laden after he was killed in a US commando raid on May 2.

In an interview with American TV, Inhofe agreed that the photos taken immediately in the compound in Pakistan immediately after bin Laden was killed were "pretty gruesome."

"One of the shots went through an ear and out through the eye socket. Or it went in through the eye socket and out -- then exploded," he said. "That caused the brains to hang out of the eye socket, so that was pretty gruesome."

Three photos were taken after bin Laden's body was removed from the compound and flown to a US aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, Inhofe said.

They show the al Qaeda leader's body being washed and prepared for burial according to Muslim rites, and then lowered into the sea, he said.

"They had taken enough blood and material off his face so it was easier to identify who it was," Inhofe said.

"Then of course the burial at sea, had the transition -- first of all, identifying who it was. Then of course the fact that they buried him at sea," he said.

Inhofe said he had no doubt the man was bin Laden.

"Absolutely, no question about it. I've seen them. That was him. He's gone. He's history," he said.

In deciding not to release the pictures to the public, the White House expressed fear that they would inflame sentiment in the Middle East and be used as a propaganda tool against the United States.

But Inhofe, who thought the pictures should be made public, said he still believed that those taken aboard the USS Carl Vinson should be released.

Besides Inhofe, the senior Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, the pictures were to be shown to other ranking members of key committees.

John McCain, the Republican senator, told a journalist he did not plan to see the images, noting: "I've seen enough dead people in my life." (AFP)

US prepared for fights with Pak troops in Osama raid

WASHINGTON: US official has revealed that assault force hunting down Osama bin Laden last week was large enough to fight its way out of Pakistan if confronted by local troops.

According to the official, two teams of specialists were on standby in this regard.

He said that Obama while reviewing the plans insisted to increase the troops for the protection of assault team, after which two extra helicopters packed with SEALs were put on alert to control any untoward incident.

Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Mike Mullen on Sunday met with Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani while meeting between CIA Chief Leon Panetta and ISI Chief Shuja Pasha is expected soon.

Osama Bin Laden meets the media And New Pic

Al Arabiya:  It is not surprising that the United States found in Osama Bin Laden’s Pakistan house videotapes and films documenting his activities, such as the video in which he appeared in his unkempt beard watching himself of a TV monitor with passion and holding a remote control.

The United States may not find much in Bin Laden’s house except some media and cultural content. The US may have possibly found very little about Al Qaeda, its network ties, strategies and planning.

As such, it is important to re-consider the US announcement that it found a treasure throve of information about Al Qaeda.

What the United States found in Bin Laden's house in Abbottabad is very much similar to what the United States discovered following the September 11 attacks in one of Al Qaeda’s camps in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

At the time, the United States released a video showing an elderly man talking with Bin Laden and “congratulating” him for the September 11 attacks, and Bin Laden giving his opinion about the events and saying that he had not expected the towers in New York to collapse.

In that video, Bin Laden was documenting the visit of a “guest” from outside Afghanistan.

When I met Bin Laden in June 2001 in an area that was three hours from Kandahar, one of the first things he said was: “Did you follow what the media published two days ago about the content and films that Al Qaeda produced?”

I answered that I was travelling for three days and that I was not able to follow the news. His media team then brought a TV screen and a video player and he showed me some recordings of Al Qaeda military trainings, which CNN and Al Jazeera had broadcast at the time.

That was clear enough for me to notice that Bin Laden gave special attention to the media like any politician who understands the importance of the media and their ability to influence people and change the course of events.

During my meeting with him he added: “We have produced a film about Al Qaeda that is called ‘Destroying the Destroyer,’ I will give you a copy of it, you can use it in the report you will write about meeting me!”

He smiled a little and told me: “Do you know why we called it ‘Destroying the Destroyer?’”

I replied: “Yes, you mean Navy destroyer USS Cole.”

He said: “Yes, We called it ‘Destroying the Destroyer’ in response to that program aired by Al Jazeera and titled ‘Destroying Al Qaeda!’”

Bin Laden's interest in the media and in documenting his activities was known even before the September 11 attacks. He would not leave any important event or activity without documenting it.

He would even sometimes rent advanced shooting equipments from montage companies in Pakistan to record important Al Qaeda activities. Most of pre-September 11 Al Qaeda media content was recorded on VHS tapes. These include lectures by Ben Laden and other top Al Qaeda leaders. It was before Al Qaeda established a visual media department, which was named “Al Sahab institute.”

Sources close to Taliban and Al Qaeda told me at the time that Bin Laden had obtained permission from Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar to use a satellite dish, which was banned in Afghanistan during the rule of Taliban. Only the media office of Mullah Omar had a satellite dish back then.

Bin Laden wanted his media office to record all important media reports and send them to his office so that he could watch them.

His media office even used to do reviews of current world affairs, newspapers, important columns in the media, and books in both English and Arabic.

Even before Al Qaeda was known as Al Qaeda it used to produce a newscast named “Al Akhbar” (The News) about the major developments in world affairs and the situation of the battlefronts against the Soviets and the communist government in Afghanistan. The newscast was produced in the late 1980s and the early 1990s and it used to be distributed on Al Qaeda offices in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Unlike many top wanted guerrillas, Bin Laden’s interest in the media reflected a personality that was looking for a political and leadership role bigger than the role he was doing as an Al Qaeda chief. His rigorous follow-up of events and the way he appeared in the media demonstrated that he was searching for a bigger role and was plotting a project bigger than Al Qaeda and its abilities.

After the Middle East Broadcasting Center (MBC) aired a report, which I prepared about my visit to Bin Laden on June 23, 2001, the Al Qaeda media office called me from a phone number that appeared to be from Kabul and said: “We just now watched your report and we will call you another time.”