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flag John Kiriakou claims bin Laden may have escaped Tora Bora in 2001 due to a translator's deception and U.S. delay, while U.S. aid sustained Pakistan’s dual counterterrorism stance.

flag Former CIA officer John Kiriakou said in an interview that Osama bin Laden may have escaped from Tora Bora in October 2001 disguised as a woman, fleeing into Pakistan after a delay granted by U.S. forces. flag He claimed a translator for U.S. Central Command, later found to be an Al-Qaeda operative, misled General Franks into allowing time to evacuate women and children, enabling bin Laden’s escape. flag Kiriakou also described U.S. relations with Pakistan under Pervez Musharraf as reliant on massive aid, despite Pakistan’s dual strategy of cooperating on counterterrorism while harboring groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba. flag He noted that a 2002 raid uncovered a link between the group and Al-Qaeda, but the White House chose not to publicize it, prioritizing the alliance over Indian concerns. flag Bin Laden was killed in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in 2011.

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