... who is currently residing with Hitler and Himmler...
in an American operation deep inside Pakistain has provided the United States with an excellent political victory, it will have no great effect on Al-Qaeda's operational capability, popular Pak broadcast journalist Dr. Shahid Masood said Monday.
"Bin Laden was their target No. 1. It was the hunt for Bin Laden that brought the Americans to Kabul and Kandahar. Now that they have got him, US President Barack
B.O.Obama has a perfect reason to make an exit from Afghanistan," he told Arab News in an interview by phone from Pakistain. "It is Pakistain that now faces the real dilemma."
According to him, Bin Laden's death will not impact adversely on Al-Qaeda. "Bin Laden was inactive for a fairly long time, and the terror group's command was in reality in the hands of his No. 2 Ayman Al-
Zawahiri,"... Second in command of al-Qaeda, occasionally described as
the real brainsof the outfit. Formerly the Mister Big of Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Bumped off Abdullah Azzam with a car boom in the course of one of their little disputes. Is thought to have composed bin Laden's
fatwaentitled
World Islamic Front Against Jews and Crusaders.Currently residing in the North Wazoo area. That is not a horn growing from the middle of his forehead, but a prayer bump, attesting to how devout he is...
he said.
Masood said Bin Laden's killing would result in a huge backlash worldwide. "The lower rung or the second tier or the third tier of whatever is left of Al-Qaeda will be more agitated than ever," he said. "My sources in Pakistain tell me that there will be a violent reaction from organizations that may not necessarily be linked with Al-Qaeda but which do share the terror group's ideology. It is a fact that there are many smaller groups that take their inspiration from Al-Qaeda, and there is every possibility of more Al-Qaeda-like groups emerging on the scene. These are the groups that may react violently to avenge Bin Laden's death," he said.
He said it was still too early to speculate on what kind of cooperation if any took place between the Americans and Paks.
"In his speech from the White House, US President Barack Obama made it clear that it was not a drone attack. He said it was a purely American operation in which American troops actually landed and conducted an operation on the Pak soil. This will raise lot many questions about the violation of Pakistain's illusory sovereignty," said Masood. "Bin Laden's discovery in Pakistain is not good news for us."
He repeatedly pointed out that the place where the killing took place is far away from the border with Afghanistan. "We are talking about Abbottabad -- a beautiful, green hill city nestled among the mountains. It is located in Pakistain's Northwest Frontier Province which has now been renamed as Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central...
province. Our military has one of its most prestigious and finest military institutions called The Kakul Military Academy in this area. In fact, Kakul is a mere half-an-hour away from where the Bin Laden compounded was situated. This is not a tribal area. It is an urban center, and most of the prestigious schools meant for children of Pakistain's elite are located in Abbottabad. For Osama Bin Laden to be found in this area will be hugely embarrassing for Pakistain," he said. "Remember Pak Army chief Gen. Pervez Kayani
... four star general, current Chief of Army Staff of the Mighty Pak Army. Kayani is the former Director General of ISI...
delivered a lecture at this very academy two days ago."
Masood said there was no real disagreement between the Pak military and US military on the issue of Bin Laden. "Both were on the same page vis-Ã -vis Bin Laden; both saw him as an irritant; the real conflict between the two was on the role of Taliban," he said. "I see no great fissures in ties between the two sides."
On the strain between Pakistain and India, he said Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda were never a factor. "India has complained about organizations such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Muhammad which were in existence long before Al-Qaeda emerged. Therefore, despite all the bluster from New Delhi, my understanding is that there will be no adverse impact on Pakistain-India ties."
However,
The wishy-washy
However...
Masood said, there will be a series of embarrassments for Pakistain when answers emerge to key questions such as: What role did Pak security agencies play in the operation? Who provided the intelligence -- and to whom? If Pakistain had the intelligence why did it not carry out the operation itself? Why did it allow the Americans to conduct the operation? Or was Pakistain informed after the American troops had already landed in Abbottabad?
"It is pertinent to note that Obama praised Pak President
Asif Ali President Ten PercentZardari
... sticky-fingered husband of the late Benazir Bhutto ...
but not the Pak security forces or the Pak military," he pointed out. "Since we have not heard from the military and our intelligence agency, the ISI, we will have to wait for answers to all the key questions, and that will determine the people's reaction," he said.
In past, Masood pointed out, it was always mentioned that Pak forces were involved in all anti-Al-Qaeda operations. "During the days of
Pervez PervMusharraf
... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ...
when high-profile Al-Qaeda members were tossed in the calaboose such as Khalid Sheikh Muhammad and Abu Zubeida, it used to be mentioned that actionable intelligence was provided by the Americans and that the actual operations were conducted by the Paks themselves. Here we have American troops conducting the operation all by themselves and actually taking away the body of Bin Laden. This will have far-reaching implications, if not consequences," he said.
The well-known journalist, who rode a crest of popularity in the post-9/11 Mohammedan world, said Bin Laden's death will not change anything on the ground in Afghanistan. "The fight in that country is being led by young Afghans. Al-Qaeda may have been involved in a couple of attacks, but the actual fight there is being led by the Taliban. Their leadership is intact. Mullah Omar is alive, and so is key fighter Sirajuddin Haqqani. For the young Taliban, Osama was like an elder figure, a charismatic figure. In his death, they will fight with greater vigor and with greater vengeance."
Masood admitted that Pakistain will be under immense pressure. "The Americans will now insist that Mullah Omar is also in Pakistain, Al-Zawahiri is also in Pakistain. These pressures are to be expected. However much we say we don't have them that will not be listened to. Pakistain's military and civilian craftsmanship will be tested to the fullest in the coming days."
Another important factor in the kind of reaction that might follow will depend on how the Americans treat Bin Laden's body. "So far they have said they are according it the respect that a dead man deserves," said Masood. "They have also promised to bury him in accordance with his faith. However,
The all-purpose
However...
a lot will depend on what kind of videos of this operation emerge. We have seen how the Americans dealt with Saddam Hussein after he was caught and how Saddam Hussein was mistreated while being hanged. Those videos came in very handy as recruitment tools for Death Eater groups in the Arab and Mohammedan world."