OBL Paid His Way Into Pakistan

[Cpl Kendall]

Global Security

Paid Afghan Commanders Gave Safe Passage to bin Laden

By VOA News
14 September 2005

A senior Afghan official says al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden was provided safe passage to Pakistan in 2001 by pro-al-Qaida Afghan commanders who were paid by the terrorist group.

Afghanistan's Interior Ministry spokesman, Lutfullah Mashal, tells VOA those commanders helped the al Qaida leader escape from the Tora Bora mountains as U.S. warplanes attacked his hideout near the Pakistani border in late 2001.

Mr. Mashal, who was then a journalist, said he was present in the Tora Bora mountains during the December 2001 operation. He said that while Arab fighters fled Tora Bora for Pakistan's Khyber tribal agency, senior al Qaida leaders trekked across to Parachinar in the same area with the help of some tribal elders.

Mr. Mashal said bin Laden ultimately reached Miranshah, the main town in another Pakistani tribal agency, North Waziristan. Mr. Mashal suspects he is still moving around Pakistan's tribal lands, guarded by Taleban fighters.

Can't say I'm surprised. This is the tribal area in Pakistan unless I remember wrong, so good luck finding him there.

[frigidmagi]

This is a little slow. They've been telling me this since... 2004. Course it's common sense. South Afghan is the area with the most Taliban syms has is the bordering area of Pakistan (I can't remember for sure, but I believe that's the area where the Taliban was first formed in Pakistan out of the Saudi run religious schools). The tribals there are resentful of their national governments and of western ideals in general and Osama would be seen has a guest, in that area you do not surrender your guest to outsiders.