CIA scapegoats al-Qaeda over BB killing

CIA Director Michael Hayden has blamed al-Qaeda and allies of a Pakistani tribal leader for the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.

Hayden said Bhutto was killed by fighters allied with Baitullah Mehsud, a tribal leader in northwestern Pakistan, with support from al-Qaeda's terrorist network, The Washington Post reported.

Hayden declined to discuss the intelligence behind the CIA's assessment, the newspaper added.

"This was done by that network around Baitullah Mehsud. We have no reason to question that," he said.

Hayden described the killing as 'part of an organized campaign' that has included suicide bombings and other attacks on Pakistani leaders.

Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) says the US and Pakistani spy agencies are the number one suspects behind the assassination of the opposition leader.

"Her assassination is calculated. Her killing is a fascist act. US Central Intelligence agency (CIA) and Pakistan's Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) should shoulder responsibility for her assassination," Amanullah Khan, a Britain-based leader of the PPP said in a memorial service.

He added Bhutto was longing to go back to Pakistan in her effort to restore democracy there but was 'deceived and stabbed in the back by the CIA and ISI'.

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 14:13:10

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Other article on this topic: "CIA sees Taliban role in killing of Bhutto"
http://www.seedebate.org/node/492

This article is clearly different from the other articles in this series on Bhutto’s assassination. What are your thoughts?

It is obvious that Iran and the United States would have different views on this topic. How do you account for the different views within Pakistan?

Who do you believe?

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