Illinois U.S. Senator Mark Kirk said Saturday that Pakistan was likely aware of Osama bin Laden’s presence within the country.
Mr. Kirk, who served as a Naval Reserve intelligence officer and has been posted to Afghanistan, said he is unsure whether Pakistani officials knew Mr. bin Laden was hiding in the country. The Illinois U.S. Senator added that eliminating aid to the nation was a mistake and would only hinder future intelligence operations. Mr. Kirk also noted that he supports keeping U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
“Pakistan has always been a three-dimensional chess game for the United States,” Mr. Kirk said. “Some part of the population and government were people working for bin Laden, some parts against.”
The Illinois Republican noted that Pakistani intelligence forces forced the U.S. to undertake the special operation to kill the terrorist leader. “And so the job of the U.S. military, CIA and diplomats is to work with those who will work with us to pull off intelligence coups like nailing bin Laden,” Mr. Kirk said.
Mr. Kirk’s comment comes as the White House released videos showing bin Laden preparing for speeches and coordination operations from the compound. The video shows bin Laden sitting alone in a drab, run-down room in front of an old TV connected by a bundle of bare cables to a satellite receiver.
