Neither Pakistan, nor any other govt informed of OBL raid in advance: White House
US refutes Mansoor Ijaz's claim that Haqqani and Zardari had advanced knowledge of OBL raid.
WASHINGTON:
US has refuted claims by Pakistani-American businessman, Mansoor Ijaz that Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari, and former Ambassador Husain Haqqani had advance knowledge of a covert raid deep into Pakistan to capture or kill Osama bin Laden.
White House spokesperson Caitlin Hayden said: "There is no truth to the reports that Ambassador Haqqani or President Zardari had advance knowledge of the May 2 Abbottabad operation.”
Hayden maintained that no one in Pakistan, or any other government was intimated in advance about a raid with stealth helicopters to kill the world’s most wanted man. “As we've said repeatedly, given the sensitivity of the operation, to protect our operators we did not inform the Pakistani government, or any other government, in advance."
Earlier on Saturday, The Daily Beast, Newsweek’s online partner, published an ‘analysis’ piece from Mansoor Ijaz in which the Pakistani-American businessman claimed that the memo – for which Husain Haqqani had selected him for delivering to Admiral Mike Mullen, was part of a larger plan by Zardari and Haqqani. This plan, Ijaz asserted, included Zardari and Haqqani having prior knowledge of a team of US special commandos infiltrating into Pakistan, killing Osama Bin Laden, and withdrawing with his body back to Afghanistan.
Ijaz further alleged that since Haqqani knew of the raid before hand, he orchestrated a trip to London to coincide with the time of the raid so as to escape suspicion.
Husain Haqqani, who had resigned from his post as Ambassador after being summoned by Zardari, in a subsequent letter to Tina Brown, the editor of The Daily Beast, that the claims were a fabrication and no one in Pakistan had any prior knowledge of OBL raid. Haqqani added that he had traveled to England before the raid and returned from the air port upon hearing news of the raid.
US has refuted claims by Pakistani-American businessman, Mansoor Ijaz that Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari, and former Ambassador Husain Haqqani had advance knowledge of a covert raid deep into Pakistan to capture or kill Osama bin Laden.
White House spokesperson Caitlin Hayden said: "There is no truth to the reports that Ambassador Haqqani or President Zardari had advance knowledge of the May 2 Abbottabad operation.”
Hayden maintained that no one in Pakistan, or any other government was intimated in advance about a raid with stealth helicopters to kill the world’s most wanted man. “As we've said repeatedly, given the sensitivity of the operation, to protect our operators we did not inform the Pakistani government, or any other government, in advance."
Earlier on Saturday, The Daily Beast, Newsweek’s online partner, published an ‘analysis’ piece from Mansoor Ijaz in which the Pakistani-American businessman claimed that the memo – for which Husain Haqqani had selected him for delivering to Admiral Mike Mullen, was part of a larger plan by Zardari and Haqqani. This plan, Ijaz asserted, included Zardari and Haqqani having prior knowledge of a team of US special commandos infiltrating into Pakistan, killing Osama Bin Laden, and withdrawing with his body back to Afghanistan.
Ijaz further alleged that since Haqqani knew of the raid before hand, he orchestrated a trip to London to coincide with the time of the raid so as to escape suspicion.
Husain Haqqani, who had resigned from his post as Ambassador after being summoned by Zardari, in a subsequent letter to Tina Brown, the editor of The Daily Beast, that the claims were a fabrication and no one in Pakistan had any prior knowledge of OBL raid. Haqqani added that he had traveled to England before the raid and returned from the air port upon hearing news of the raid.