Bin Laden Doc Informant Sentenced to 33 Years

JBS

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http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/wor...d-bin-laden-sentenced-on-treason-charges.html

Pakistani doctor who helped find Bin Laden gets 33 years in prison

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A Pakistani doctor who led a phony vaccination campaign aimed at helping the CIA pinpoint Osama bin Laden’s whereabouts was convicted of treason Wednesday and sentenced to 33 years in prison, a decision that is likely to further erode Washington’s fragile relations with Islamabad.

The U.S. has been seeking the release of Shakeel Afridi ever since his arrest by Pakistani authorities after the secret U.S. commando raid that killed the Al Qaeda leader in his compound in the military city of Abbottabad a year ago. In January, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta told CBS’ "60 Minutes" that Afridi had provided intelligence that assisted the raid and criticized Pakistan’s arrest of someone involved in helping track down the world’s most wanted man.

From the start, however, Pakistani authorities have regarded Afridi as a traitor and have ignored Washington’s calls for his release. He was tried in a tribal court in the Khyber region along the Afghan border, where he once was designated the chief surgeon.

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Under Pakistani law, he could have been given the death penalty. In addition to the 33-year term, Afridi was also fined about $3,500.

If I were "running" things on the U.S. end, I might be inclined to see what I could do about getting this guy out of there. Sends an unusual message about what happens if you aid the Americans, IMO.
 
We'll probably work out some kind of prisoner exchange or something, give them back one of their (you know, like any one of the Haqqanis or upper-level Taliban :rolleyes:) for this guy to get "banished" from Pakistan. Either that or he'll get murdered in prison. Either way I don't think he'll be behind bars long.

After he gets released, I hope a whole lot of that $25 million or whatever it was for bin Laden's head makes its way into Afridi's hands.
 
I'd have hoped that they'd have made an offer to him at prior to the conclusion of the operation. He may have refused it, who knows.

Gotta look after your informants.
 
...If I were "running" things on the U.S. end, I might be inclined to see what I could do about getting this guy out of there. Sends an unusual message about what happens if you aid the Americans, IMO.

So much I would like to say about how common it is for HUMINT sources to be treated this way by us that I cant say...

Suffice to say it should be no surprise that we arent trusted to do the right thing.
 
At the end of the day, we don't have the balls to really push Pakistan on this, or any other issue. And the last 30+ years have let them know that. I doubt they're too concerned about anything. We're painting ourselves into a corner with situations like this, and eventually we are going to deploy to any of the 192(?) countries in the world only to find out no one wants to help us because we have proven we will use them and then leave them twisting in the wind.
 
It's the same game we played with NK and Iran when they were holding Americans. Pakistan needs to make a show for their people at home but six months or a year down the road when he is no longer a public issue we will payoff Pakistan in some way and they will give him up.

Pakistan isn't going to give him up right away no matter what we do or say because they would lose face at home. The game has to be played out before we get to a resolution. The doctor will be worth a billion dollars in new foreign aid down the road probably.
 
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