Former CIA agent's hunt for bin Laden in Pakistani badlands

Tines UK ^ | 9-9-09 | Staff

[Anti-Bubba182]

Art Keller, a blond, blue-eyed CIA agent, sits inside a decrepit building deep inside al-Qaeda territory, staring at his computer screen. He is forbidden by his Pakistani minders from venturing out into the badlands of Waziristan to help to find and kill the world’s most wanted man.

He is sick and exhausted, and suffering from food poisoning. Back home in the US his father is dying of cancer. The plumbing is basic, the heat intense — the generator has failed again. He pores over cables looking for any scrap of information — an intercepted phone call, an aerial photograph — that might finally end the hunt for Osama bin Laden.

The fruitless search has essentially been outsourced by the US to a network of Pashtun spies run by the Pakistani intelligence services.

Mr Keller was one of an estimated 50 to 100 CIA agents and special operations officers whose mission for the past eight years has been to find and kill bin Laden and other top al-Qaeda leaders in the hostile and forbidding Pakistani border region, where he is believed to be hiding. ............

[Anti-Bubba182]

The Pakistanis will never "find" Bin Laden because they can milk the chase for Millions. Bin Laden is the Golden Goose.

[fso301]

The main obstacle in finding him, Mr Keller says, is that even if someone wanted to betray him — and collect the $25 million (£15 million) reward — there is no one to turn to. The local police know bin Laden is there. “If you report bin Laden’s location there is a good chance you will get killed,”

Why not do something like air drop satellite phones and solar chargers all over the countryside? Affix a message to the effect of, "Phone in a tip to claim a fabulous reward. Hand in your phone to claim your reward".

[Jedidah]

I saw a TV interview with Musharrif Tuesday (can’t remember the outlet, may have been Fox). He said he thinks bin Laden is dead and has been for years, that there have been no credible reports otherwise.

[RAO1125]

Al CIAda.

[SevenMinusOne]

I would contend UBL remains alive because of location, location, location being 60% of it....and the other 40% being because our shooters have not been turned loose more often. History will show they were at times....but no where near enough (in terms of trying to get a specific HVT target) within the Pak border regions. More risks should have been taken.