Congressman urges ceasing all foreign aid to Pak

A first time Congressman from Florida has urged his colleagues to end all US aid to Pakistan arguing that it is impossible to believe that al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was hiding so close to Islamabad without any support infrastructure.

"It is quite disturbing that this revelation comes on the heels of Pakistan's President admonishing (Afghan President) Hamid Karzai to not support long term security agreement with the United States.

I served in Afghanistan for 2 1/2 years and familiar with the sanctuary being provided to Islamic terrorists in Pakistan. Many believe the central headquarters of the Taliban, and Mullah Omar, are located in Quetta, Pakistan," Congressman Allen West said.

"As you begin to prepare the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2012, I hope the Subcommittee will look into these very important issues and make a determination to end all foreign aid to the Government of Pakistan," he said in a letter to Kay Granger, Chairwoman, Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Committee on Appropriations.

"I, like many Americans, thought Osama bin Laden may be located in an isolated hidden place in the mountains of Pakistan's tribal northwest in a location of approximately 28,000 square miles where the Pakistani Taliban and al-Qaida fighters are known to exist. An area that would have made it very difficult to locate any individual, especially the most wanted terrorist in the world," he said.

However, one now learns that Osama bin Laden was living in a million dollar compound which was custom-built in 2005 in Abbottabad in north-west Pakistan.

The heavily fortified compound, with 11- to 18-foot walls topped by barbed wire, is only a few hundred yards from the Pakistan Military Academy, described as Pakistan's West Point.

The city, Abbottabad, is home to Pakistan Army 2nd Division, and is a cantonment under government control, and is located 75 miles from the Pakistan Capital of Islamabad, he said.

"It is not unreasonable for the American people to question if Osama bin Laden was located on government controlled land, next to a military academy, and so close to the nation's Capital.

What real assistance was the Pakistan Government providing for the last 10 years to locate the al-Qaeda leader and bring him to justice?" West said.

"Since the September 11th terrorist attack, the United States Government has provided an estimated USD 20 billion of assistance to the Government of Pakistan.

Questions are arising on whether the Government of Pakistan may have aided and abetted this most wanted international terrorist," he said.

"I think it is quite clear that unless we get a clear explanation of what the Government of Pakistan knew about the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden, all foreign aid from American taxpayers to this nation needs to cease.

We need to understand whether the Government of Pakistan was harboring Osama bin Laden for all these years.

Further, did the Government of Pakistan always know where this terrorist was but instead did not want to bring him to justice in order to continue to receive foreign aid from the United States of America," West said.