Musharraf Denies Pakistani Knowledge Of Bin Laden

By Lisa Kellman

Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf claimed Wednesday that although Osama Bin Laden was found in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad when he was killed earlier this year, it was not evidence of corruption on behalf of the Pakistani government.

“[My] honest conviction, it’s a case of terrible negligence which ought to be investigated and punished, but it is not a case of compliance,” said Musharraf.

Musharraf gave a speech at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace wherein he touched upon tensions between Pakistan and America.

The former president criticized the United States, Afghanistan, and India for the trouble his country faces with the Taliban and Al Qaeda. He declared that many issues may appear to have originated in Pakistan yet in fact, Pakistan is an innocent victim of circumstance in the Middle East.

Internal struggles in Pakistan include a dysfunctional government, a rise in terrorism and extremism, a rise in law and order situations, an economic collapse, and increasing political turmoil.

“Pakistan is in bad shape,” Musharraf acknowledged.

Less Than 50 Pakistani Nationals Detained In Afghanistan, Claims U.S. Official

Although there are escalating concerns over the involvement of Pakistani nationals in the Afghan insurgency, there are only several dozen currently in custody in Afghanistan, according to the U.S. military official in charge of detainee operations within the nation.

“There are less than 50 [non-Afghan detainees],” Vice Admiral Robert Harward, who commands Joint Task Force 435, told reporters via-satellite from Afghanistan Thursday. “75 percent come from Pakistan.”

Recent documents released through the whistle-blower website Wikileaks revealed that Pakistan’s intelligence agency has been supplying the Taliban with support.

Obama Promises to Bring Iraq War to "Responisble End"

President Barack Obama spoke today in Atlanta to the Disabled American Veterans, an event effectively marking the end of combat operations in Iraq, which is officially set to end on August 31.  Obama praised the troops and asked the nation to show respect for their sacrifice.  The president emphasized that his administration has “brought more than 90,000 of our troops home from Iraq,” making good on his campaign promise to bring the war to a close.  However, as the war in Iraq winds down, the war in Afghanistan is becoming increasingly more deadly to American troops.  Obama asked for support for the war in Afghanistan, saying, “if Afghanistan were to be engulfed by an even wide insurgency, al Qaeda and its terrorist affiliates would have even more space to plan their next attack,” and that “as President of the United States, I refuse to let that happen.”

-Philip Bunnell