Tensions with Pakistan are continuing to rise, as the Pakistani media has published what it says is the name of the CIA chief in Islamabad—although, according to the Associated Press, the name is incorrect. Still, the U.S. is continuing to turn the screws on Pakistan with regards to an investigation into whether or not the country’s intelligence apparatus aided Osama bin Laden during his years in hiding. “We have to investigate, and more importantly, the Pakistani government has to investigate,” President Obama told 60 Minutes on Sunday night. “We think that there had to be some sort of support network for bin Laden inside of Pakistan.” A senior official in Pakistan’s government tells ABC News that Pakistani intelligence agents, probably rogue or retired, definitely aided bin Laden.
Obama: 'We Have to Investigate'
When President Obama ordered the May 1 raid on a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, that killed the al Qaeda leader, he faced divided opinion from his national security advisers over whether it was the right move. "At the end of the day, this was still a 55-45 situation," Obama told CBS's 60 Minutes. "I mean, we could not say definitively that bin Laden was there. Had he not been there, then there would have been some significant consequences."
Obama was worried that since there was no confirmed sightings of bin Laden, they could have been raiding the home of some "prince from Dubai," but ultimately concluded the risk was worth it. "I said to myself that if we have a good chance of not completely defeating but badly disabling al Qaeda, then it was worth both the political risks as well as the risks to our men, after a pursuit that cost billions of dollars and stretched for nearly a decade," said Obama. The president also revealed that most of his senior aides didn't know about the raid, and acknowledged "some sort of support network for bin Laden inside of Pakistan."
It Was a '55-45 Situation'
Obama: Doubts Were Invaluable