.jpg) Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf |
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf insists Osama bin Laden is hiding in Afghanistan, but in his new book he reveals the terror kingpin moved his family to Pakistan after 9/11.
Musharraf last week told the London Times that he believes bin Laden is alive and hiding in the eastern Afghan province of Konar, possibly with the help of an Afghan warlord.
However, on page 240 of Musharraf’s memoir, “In the Line of Fire,” he says he learned from interrogations of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed that he and bin Laden prepared for “the transfer of their families to Pakistan” after the attacks.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four of his fellow terrorists — Ramzi bin Al-Shibh, Musatafa Ahmed Hawsawi, Ammar Al-Balochi and Jaffar Al-Tayer — witnessed the attack on the twin towers from an Internet cafe in Karachi, Pakistan, an al-Qaida hotbed. Then on Sept. 21 or 22, 2001, bin Laden recalled Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to Afghanistan.
“After analyzing the suicide hijackings, they both got involved in the defense of Afghanistan and the transfer of their families to Pakistan,” Musharraf writes.
The U.S. intelligence community believes al-Qaida’s entire inner circle has found sanctuary in Pakistan, where U.S. troop are not allowed to patrol. Bin Laden is “hiding in Pakistan in the northern tribal areas above Peshawar,” says recently retired CIA officer Gary Schoen, who was deployed to Afghanistan after 9/11.
Almost all of the high-value al-Qaida operatives in U.S. custody today were caught inside Pakistan. And taped messages from bin Laden and his deputies have been couriered to TV bureaus inside Pakistan.
Previous remarks by Musharraf have raised doubts he is serious about hunting America’s Enemy No. 1. He has also suggested he might not turn the most-wanted fugitive over to the U.S. if Pakistani authorities even found him.
Asked last year if he’d turn bin Laden over to the U.S. in such an event, Musharraf said he would “have to see what happens.”
“We hope he’s found in Afghanistan by the Americans,” he said. “I would much prefer that somebody else handled him.”
In his book, Musharraf now says he made the remark “half-jokingly.”
The Pakistani ruler reasserted last month that Pakistan would never allow U.S.-led coalition forces — currently hunting al-Qaida and Taliban fighters on the Afghan side of the border — into tribal areas on the Pakistan side.
“On our side of the border there will be a total uprising if a foreigner [from the West] enters that area,” he said at a joint news conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. “It’s not possible at all. We will never allow any foreigners into that area. It’s against the culture of the people there,” who are devout Sunni Muslims and big fans of bin Laden according to recent polls. Since 9/11, many of them have named their newborn sons after “Osama,” which is Arabic for lion.
Musharraf recently cut a controversial peace deal with Pashtun militants in his country’s northern tribal belt who are protecting Taliban and al-Qaida. U.S. officials fear the truce will give the terrorists free reign to plan attacks.
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