Tensions between the U.S. and Pakistan continue in the aftermath of the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound. Pakistani media aired the name of the current CIA station chief on their airwaves, as Karen Bruillard and Greg Miller reported:
White House press secretary Jay Carney said Monday that the United States' relationship with Pakistan is both important and complicated in the aftermath of the U.S led raid that killed Osama bin Laden. (May 9)
• The public outing of the CIA station chief here threatened on Monday to deepen the rift between the United States and Pakistan, with U.S. officials saying they believed the disclosure had been made deliberately by Pakistan’s main spy agency.
If true, the leak would be a sign that Pakistan’s powerful security establishment, far from feeling chastened by the killing of terrorist leader Osama bin Laden in a Pakistani garrison city last week, is seeking to demonstrate its leverage over Washington and retaliate for the unilateral U.S. operation.
Less than six months ago, the identity of the previous CIA station chief in Islamabad was also disclosed in an act that U.S. officials blamed on their counterparts in Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency, or ISI.
The new station chief, who runs one of the largest U.S. intelligence-gathering operations in the world, played an instrumental role in overseeing efforts to confirm bin Laden’s location before last week’s raid.
House Speaker John Boehner called the Osama bin Laden raid a critical moment in American-Pakistani relations. As AP explained:
• House Speaker John Boehner says the killing of al Qaida leader Osama bin Laden presents a make-or-break moment for U.S.-Pakistani relations.
The Ohio Republican says in a broadcast interview he believes “it’s a moment to look each other in the eye.” Boehner (BAY’-nur) told NBC’s “Today” show Tuesday that “if we’re really going to be allies, if we’re going to fight this war together, we need to be in it together all the time.”
He said he still trusts the Pakistani government but concedes that questions linger over “what they knew or didn’t know about bin Laden being in their country — their willingness to pursue some terrorists but not others.”
Pakistani security officials will allow the U.S. access to Osama bin Laden’s wives, who have been in custody since the raid took place, says a U.S. official. As AP reported:
• A U.S. official says Pakistan has informed the U.S. that it will grant access to Osama bin Laden’s wives, a key request by the White House. Despite simmering relations between the two countries over the unannounced raid by Navy SEALs on Pakistani soil, the official said the U.S. expects to have access to bin Laden’s three wives soon.
The White House said Monday that it was very interested in interviewing the women, who could provide information about bin Laden’s life in hiding. The women have been in Pakistani custody since the SEALs helicoptered away from the compound with bin Laden’s body.
More from The Washington Post
World: Sen. Kerry to visit Pakistan as rift over raid widens
Special Report: The Hunt for Osama bin Laden
Roundtable: What’s next after Bin Laden?
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