Gates: No evidence 'yet' about who in Pakistan knew bin Laden was there
| Washington
The top US defense official, Robert Gates, said Wednesday that he believes 鈥渟omebody鈥� in Pakistan knew where Osama bin Laden was hiding.
But the defense secretary also warned of the consequences of punishing the Pakistani government too harshly, even as lawmakers on Capitol Hill have stepped up calls to withhold US aid from Pakistan for failing to capture or kill insurgents within its borders,
Mr. Gates acknowledged that who that "somebody" is remains elusive. 鈥淚 have seen no evidence at all that the senior leadership [in Pakistan] knew. In fact, I鈥檝e seen some evidence to the contrary,鈥� Mr. Gates said during Wednesday's Pentagon briefing. 鈥淲e have no evidence yet with respect to anybody else.鈥�
He added, however: 鈥淢y supposition is, somebody knew.鈥�
If 鈥渟omebody鈥� in Pakistan knew of bin Laden鈥檚 whereabouts while keeping it a secret from the United States for years, then shouldn鈥檛 Pakistan pay some price for that? Gates was asked.
鈥淚f the senior leadership in Pakistan didn鈥檛 know, it鈥檚 hard to hold them accountable for it,鈥� he answered.
鈥淚f I were in Pakistani shoes, I would say, 鈥業've already paid a price. I've been humiliated. I've been shown that the Americans can come in here and do this with impunity,鈥� 鈥� Gates added. 鈥淚 think we have to recognize that they see a cost in that 鈥� and a price that has been paid.鈥�
But on Capitol Hill, calls continue for additional consequences in the wake of discoveries that the Al Qaeda leader was in a suburban compound just down the road from Pakistan鈥檚 premier military academy, in a military town.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D) of Massachusetts had warned, as he embarked on a trip to Pakistan after bin Laden鈥檚 demise, that 鈥渋n Congress, this is a make-or-break moment鈥� for aid to the country.
It was a message Senator Kerry passed along to Pakistani officials, as well. 鈥淚 have had some of these conversations with Pakistan before,鈥� he said, 鈥渂ut never in the context of the world鈥檚 No. 1 terrorist being found 35 miles from the capital, next door to Pakistan鈥檚 West Point, and with the discovery he was fully, fully operational.鈥�
Gates, for his part, acknowledged that the calls coming from Capitol Hill to punish Pakistan are hardly illogical, though he urged patience. 鈥淚 can understand Congress鈥檚 frustration,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd I think Senator Kerry was pretty explicit in his meetings in Pakistan that the circumstances have led to 鈥� a lot of skepticism on the Hill and that US assistance to Pakistan is now more controversial than it was before.鈥�
But Gates, in making the case for continued US aid to Pakistan, cautioned that Congress should be mindful that the United States still has 鈥渟ignificant interests鈥� there.
That said, 鈥淚 think we do need to be cognizant of the concerns on the Hill,鈥� he added. 鈥淎nd frankly, I think the Pakistanis need to be as well."
