The New York Times magazine is running a bombshell story alleging that the Pakistanis knew all along that Osama bin Laden was living for years in his longtime hiding place in the northern Pakistan city of Abbottabad, where he was killed by a U.S. Navy SEAL team on May 2, 2011. The Times story, titled "What Pakistan Knew About bin Laden," will carry weight: It was written by Carlotta Gall, the dean of the correspondents who have covered Afghanistan and Pakistan since that fateful day in 2001, when al Qaeda's four hijacked planes crashed through America's comfortable sense that vast oceans insulated it from its enemies.
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Peter Bergen: NYT article says Pakistan knew bin Laden was hiding in Abbottabad
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He says reporter Carlotta Gall is a respected authority, but there's no evidence
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Bergen: Why would many high-level U.S. intelligence officials deny Pakistan's knowledge?
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Bergen: If Obama administration has information showing Pakistan knew, it must release it
Carlotta Gall
Carlotta Gall
At great personal risk @placeholder has authoritatively covered the war in Afghanistan for the past 12 years.
Afghanistan
At great personal risk Gall has authoritatively covered the war in @placeholder for the past 12 years.
Afghanistan
Indeed, I first met her during the civil war in @placeholder during the mid-1990s when she was an aid worker, and I have met her many times since.
Pakistanis
Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan
On three reporting trips to @placeholder I spoke to senior officials in Pakistan's military and intelligence service.
al Qaeda
The fact is that the senior Pakistani officials Gall alleges were harboring bin Laden were utterly surprised that @placeholder's leader was living in Abbottabad.