No good info on bin Laden for years: CIA's Panetta

[Justin Joseph]

Osama bin Laden is hiding in tribal areas of Pakistan: CIA

WASHINGTON: World's most wanted terrorist Osama bin Laden is hiding in Pakistan's rugged tribal areas, CIA chief said, even as he claimed that the al-Qaida is probably at its weakest point since 9/11 with only 60-100 militants left in Afghanistan.

"I think the estimate on the number of al-Qaida (in Afghanistan) is actually relatively small. I think at most, we're looking at maybe 60 to 100, maybe less.It's in that vicinity. There's no question that the main location of al-Qaida is in tribal areas of Pakistan," CIA director Leon Panetta, told ABC News in an interview.

Panetta said the al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden is in deep hiding in the tribal areas of Pakistan, but did not give any further details.

"He is, as is obvious, in very deep hiding. He's in the tribal areas in Pakistan that is very difficult. The terrain is probably the most difficult in the world," he said.

"That's all we know, that he's located in that vicinity. The terrain is very difficult. He obviously has tremendous security around him," Panetta said.

"I think what's happened is that the more we put pressure on the al-Qaida leadership in the tribal areas in Pakistan and I would say that as a result of our operations, that the Taliban (al-Qaida) leadership is probably at its weakest point since 9/11 and their escape from Afghanistan into Pakistan," he said.

But having said that, the more we continue to disrupt al-Qaida's operations, and we are engaged in the most aggressive operations in the history of the CIA in that part of the world, and the result is that we are disrupting their leadership, he added.

We've taken down more than half of their Taliban leadership, of their al-Qaida leadership and we just took down number three in their leadership a few weeks ago, he said.

We continue to disrupt them. We continue to impact on their command-and- control and the NATO forces continue to impact on their ability to plan attacks in this country, Panetta said.

If we keep that pressure on, we think ultimately we can flush out bin Laden and Ayman-al-Zawahiri and get after them, Panetta said. It has been a while that Panetta has intelligence on Osama, he said.

"I think it almost goes back to the early 2000s, that in terms of actually when he was moving from Afghanistan to Pakistan, that we had the last precise information about where he might be located.

Since then, it's been very difficult to get any intelligence on his exact location," he said.

Osama bin Laden is hiding in tribal areas of Pakistan: CIA - US - World - The Times of India

 

[GUNNER]

No good info on bin Laden for years: CIA's Panetta

Susan Cornwell

WASHINGTON

Sun Jun 27, 2010 12:15pm EDT


(Reuters) - It has been years since the United States had good intelligence on the whereabouts of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin laden, although he is thought to be in Pakistan, CIA director Leon Panetta said on Sunday.

Not since "the early 2000s" have U.S. officials had "the last precise information about where he (bin Laden) might be located," Panetta said on ABC's "This Week" program.

"Since then, it's been very difficult to get any intelligence on his exact location," he said. "He is, as is obvious, in very deep hiding ... He's in an area of the tribal areas of Pakistan."

Denying the world's most wanted man safe haven on the lawless Afghanistan-Pakistan border has been an aim of Western policy since the September 11 attacks in 2001, when the Taliban in effect spurned a U.S. demand to hand over the al Qaeda chief.

 

[r3alist]

how do they know this?

did they see him?

if they can see him then they can find him?

i mean OBL beats most film plots with his mythical abilities to evade the satellites of the US


the fact is, and i believe that this is more or less true - the US dont want to find OBL if infact he even exists anywhere in the world - he is too useful!

when they want to invade syria he will be there, or when they want to go into somalia he will also be there - you get my drift?

 

[GUNNER]

how do they know this?

did they see him?

if they can see him then they can find him?

Well, it's obvious..

They don't have any information on him since early 2000, as the CIA Chief has claimed himself. So they have effectively failed to locate him. And , since the US cannot admitt failure, therefore the obvious place where OBL is hiding must be Pakistan...right !

 

[Parashuram1]

Well, it's obvious..

They don't have any information on him since early 2000, as the CIA Chief has claimed himself. So they have effectively failed to locate him. And , since the US cannot admitt failure, therefore the obvious place where OBL is hiding must be Pakistan...right !

He might not be, but what do you say about his cronies getting enough power in your country at the moment to continue massacring your civilians and yet manage to harrow your army to such an extent?

Whether Americans use Bin Laden or any other militant's name, the point is that your administered territory has become a hornet's nest for Taliban in the mountainous borders.

So what's the point of refuting Bin Laden's existence when his entire brigade is wreaking havoc in your country?

 

[GUNNER]

Whether Americans use Bin Laden or any other militant's name, the point is that your administered territory has become a hornet's nest for Taliban in the mountainous borders.

So what's the point of refuting Bin Laden's existence when his entire brigade is wreaking havoc in your country?

Well, that is clearly not the point my dear. The story is about location of Osama Bin Laden, not Taliban.

And you really need to read some history my friend to differentiate between who Taliban are and what Al-Qaeda is.

 

[mehru]

Seriously! Is this the level of their intelligence? He is the CIA chief and he is trusting a decade old information about OBL whereabouts. No wonder he has no clue.

 

[Sudesh Lahri]

Seriously! Is this the level of their intelligence? He is the CIA chief and he is trusting a decade old information about OBL whereabouts. No wonder he has no clue.

Oh so you doubt the CIA cheifs Intel?? How about US FS?

Heres something interesting.

Some Pak officials know where Osama Bin Laden is:....... Hillary Clinton Discuss

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says some people in its government are aware of the whereabouts of elusive Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Omar.

 

[xenia]

if they know for sure, why aint they sending their beloved drone to kill him??
old tactics!

 

[Icarus]

Another report based on speculations and nothing else, for all we know, he could be enjoying some herbal tea in Japan, or maybe looking for Siberian tigers in the forests of Russia. The possibilities are endless, truth remains that the Pakistani security forces have combed much of these mountains in search of Talib bunkers and tunnels but we did not come across OBL, plenty of talibs but no OBL.

 

[mehru]

Oh so you doubt the CIA cheifs Intel?? How about US FS?

Heres something interesting.

Some Pak officials know where Osama Bin Laden is:....... Hillary Clinton Discuss

No i am merely showing my amazement on the incompetence of one of the best intelligence agency in the world. As for the Hillary Clinton's statement, it is just as vague as CIA chief's claim. Even she is not sure who are they?

"I'm not saying that they're at the highest levels but I believe that somewhere in this government are people who know where Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda is, where Mullah Omar and the leadership of the Afghan Taliban is and we expect more cooperation to help us bring to justice, capture or kill, those who attacked us on 9/11,"she said.

 

[DesiGuy]

i don't know where is osama. and i don't wanna state idiot theories based on these kinds of news.

 

[Icarus]

No i am merely showing my amazement on the incompetence of one of the best intelligence agency in the world. As for the Hillary Clinton's statement, it is just as vague as CIA chief's claim. Even she is not sure who are they?

"I'm not saying that they're at the highest levels but I believe that somewhere in this government are people who know where Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda is, where Mullah Omar and the leadership of the Afghan Taliban is and we expect more cooperation to help us bring to justice, capture or kill, those who attacked us on 9/11,"she said.

So in essence, she said: I don't know anything but I'm guessing someone knows something about someone because someone is bound to know something that someone does not know, even if that someone is me........................

 

[mehru]

Another report based on speculations and nothing else, for all we know, he could be enjoying some herbal tea in Japan, or maybe looking for Siberian tigers in the forests of Russia. The possibilities are endless, truth remains that the Pakistani security forces have combed much of these mountains in search of Talib bunkers and tunnels but we did not come across OBL, plenty of talibs but no OBL.

Or maybe he is in whitehouse enjoying tea party as Iran's President Ahmadinejad says.

 

[Sudesh Lahri]

My take is that OBL is dead and buried in paktunkhwa and his tomb may read " zolfikar abu al gabru (or any other pseudo name) died of kidney failure" or something like that. Had he been alive, there is no way that CIA cant trace him.