Doctor who helped CIA find Osama bin Laden convicted of treason by Pakistan

[jimmy olsen]

Why are we still helping these people?

http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/23/11827022-pakistan-jails-doctor-who-helped-cia-find-osama-bin-laden?lite

Pakistan jails doctor who helped CIA find Osama bin Laden

By NBC News and news services

Updated at 10:55 a.m. ET: PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- A Pakistani doctor accused of helping the CIA find Osama bin Laden was convicted of high treason and sentenced to 33 years in prison on Wednesday.

Shakil Afridi ran a vaccination program for the American intelligence agency to collect DNA and verify bin Laden's presence at the compound in the town of Abbottabad, where he was killed last May by U.S. commandos.

A U.S. official implicitly criticized the sentence. "Without commenting on specific individuals, anyone who helped the United States find bin Laden was working against al-Qaida and not against Pakistan," Pentagon spokesman George Little said.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has previously called for Afridi to be released, saying his work served Pakistani and American interests.

Afridi was also ordered to pay a fine of about $3,500, Nasir Khan, a government official in the Khyber tribal area, told The Associated Press. If he doesn't pay, he will spend another three and half years in prison, Khan said.

Obama aides gave classified information on bin Laden raid for film, watchdog says

His imprisonment is likely to anger ally Washington at a sensitive time, with both sides engaged in difficult talks over re-opening NATO supply routes to U.S.-led troops in Afghanistan.

Panetta: Pakistan doctor gave US key bin Laden intel

U.S. officials had hoped Pakistan, a recipient of billions of dollars in American aid, would release Afridi. He was detained after the unilateral operation which killed bin Laden and strained ties with Islamabad.

In January, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said in a television interview that Afridi and his team had been key in finding bin Laden, describing him as helpful and insisting the doctor had not committed treason or harmed Pakistan.

U.S. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher introduced legislation in February calling for Afridi to be granted American citizenship and said it was "shameful and unforgivable that our supposed allies" charged him.

Afridi was arrested soon after bin Laden was killed, and has not been publicly heard of since. Seventeen health workers who worked with him on the vaccination drive were fired in March, according to termination letters seen by Reuters, which described them as having acted "against the national interest."

On May 2, one year after bin Laden's death, some of them appeared at the site where bin Laden's run-down white cement and brick house stood before it was demolished by Pakistani authorities.

"He (Afridi) was very nice to all the people in the team and did his job very diligently," Naseem Bibi, one of the health workers told Reuters, holding one of the notices. "Yes he was very interested in this house on that day (of the vaccination drive) but I am not sure why."

NBC News' Mushtaq Yusufzai, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[Admiral Yi]

Why are we still helping these people?

Because they offered us a better deal on truck routes to Afghanistan than Iran did.

[jimmy olsen]

Why are we still helping these people?

Because they offered us a better deal on truck routes to Afghanistan than Iran did.

We should leave Afghanistan and then completely abandon Pakistan.

[Neil]

Why are we still helping these people?

You're not.

[PDH]

As he is a doctor he is, by definition, not human and devoid of human emotions.  He can be treated however the Pakis want to treat him.

[The Minsky Moment]

Why are we still helping these people?

keep your enemies closer.

[mongers]

Why are we still helping these people?

They have nuclear weapons.

[jimmy olsen]

I thought there'd be more outrage here. Isn't this them basically admitting they knew where Osama was and then punishing someone for leaking it? That's a big fucking deal.

[Eddie Teach]

I thought there'd be more outrage here.

Embrace apathy. 

[Jaron]

I care Tim.

I was going to launch a rescue operation, but then I took an arrow to the knee.

[derspiess]

I thought there'd be more outrage here. Isn't this them basically admitting they knew where Osama was and then punishing someone for leaking it? That's a big fucking deal.

It is pretty shitty.  I don't understand why we didn't do anything early on to help this guy and his family (assuming he has one).  It's not like the fake vaccination program wasn't going to be big news over there once it broke.

He was convicted by a tribal court, and I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing-- hopefully their federal authorities can overrule the conviction somehow, and it's not like we don't have some leverage.  Hopefully we don't just leave him out to dry.

[PRC]

I care Tim.

I was going to launch a rescue operation, but then I took an arrow to the knee.

Is "arrow to the knee" Provo-speak for "dildo to the ass"?

[Jaron]

I care Tim.

I was going to launch a rescue operation, but then I took an arrow to the knee.

Is "arrow to the knee" Provo-speak for "dildo to the ass"?

No, despite your wishful thoughts I am still not an option for you. 

[Martinus]

Gee. If you are a citizen of country A and spy on country A for country B, don't expect your country A to like it. 

[Jaron]

Gee. If you are a citizen of country A and spy on country A for country B, don't expect your country A to like it. 

I bet if the doctor wore a pink coat instead of a white coat you'd be whistling a different tune.