Pak's 'double-game' helped bin-Laden escape allied forces : Report

Washington, Sep.9 (ANI): Pakistan's 'double game' and its undercover relationship with the Taliban and Al-Qaeda helped Osama-bin-Laden escape the allied forces and prevented him from being nabbed, The Times online reports.

Pakistan's connection with al-Qaeda dates back to 1980's when the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) helped the CIA to supply arms, ammunition and financial help to bin- Laden and other members of the Mujahideen resistance against Soviet forces.

Following the 9/11carnage, the United States made it clear that Pakistan must co-operate in the 'war on terror' and pressed it to flush out the ISI of Taliban and Al-Qaeda supporters, the report said.

However, Islamabad continued its support to the outlawed outfits.

According to the report several thousands of Taliban and Al-Qaeda operatives were airlifted out of the northern Afghan region of Kunduz in November 2001 by Pakistani agencies.

During the same period several more Al-Qaeda commanders, probably including bin-Laden sneaked into Pakistan from the southeastern Afghan region of Tora Bora, where the NATO forces had initiated a massive hunt operation for the Qaeda chief, the report said.

However, the ISI, in its bid to show its sincerity in the fight against extremism, formed a Counter Terrorism Cell in 2002 to work with the CIA and MI6 to hunt down Al-Qaeda's top command, but the cell failed to achieve its objective, it added.

The cell was only able to capture or eliminate low and middle ranking Al-Qaeda commanders. It failed to find any significant intelligence about the whereabouts of either bin-Laden or his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri, it said. (ANI)