Osama bin Laden death: CIA to search Abbottabad compound

Revelation that CIA forensics team to search for al-Qaida materials comes as Clinton prepares to visit Islamabad Pakistan has agreed to allow a CIA forensics team into Osama bin Laden’s compound to search for al-Qaida materials that may be hidden in the walls or underground. The revelation, reported by the Washington Post , comes on the eve of a visit to Islamabad by the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, in the most senior interaction between the US and Pakistan since the special forces raid on 2 May. The fate of Bin Laden’s house in Abbottabad, 35 miles north of Islamabad, had been one of many sensitive points in tense relations between the two countries. Some Pakistani officials favoured demolishing the three-storey house, which they believed had become a symbol of humiliation. But the US has quietly pressed Pakistan to leave it standing, as they believe it may contain valuable intelligence missed by the navy Seals who stormed it, killing the al Qaida leader. Now CIA agents could enter the house in the coming days – a sign of a slow thaw in relations that Clinton will seek to build upon during meetings with military and civilian leaders in Islamabad. US navy Seals have already seized hundreds of computer disks that are being combed by CIA officials in Virginia. They say it is their largest cache of al-Qaida intelligence ever. Now US intelligence will use infrared cameras and other devices to check for documents or other materials possibly hidden inside walls, safes or underground. Previously the CIA has only viewed the house from satellite images or from a safe house that it operated in Abbotttabad for months without Pakistani knowledge. Two weeks ago Pakistani parliamentarians closed ranks against the US incursion, condemning it as a gross breach of sovereignty. But behind the scenes, senior officials on both sides have worked quietly to put the relationship back on track. The CIA deputy director Michael Morell negotiated access to the Abbottabad during meetings in Islambad with the ISI chief, General Ahmed Shuja Pasha, the Washington Post reported. The ISI also agreed to show the CIA materials it recovered from Bin Laden’s house, while the CIA is seeking ISI assistance in analysing some records seized in the raid. A senior ISI official told the Guardian he had no information about the latest development. Osama bin Laden CIA United States Pakistan al-Qaida Global terrorism Declan Walsh guardian.co.uk

Posted by on May 26, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.