'US plans to occupy Pakistan'

Texas Republican Congressman Ron Paul

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/180632.html

A Republican congressman says he fears the US could invade Pakistan, as the controversy over the alleged killing of Osama bin Laden frays ties between the two countries.

In an interview with MSNBC on Wednesday, 2012 presidential candidate Ron Paul labeled the current relations between Washington and Islamabad as an "impossible situation" and expressed concerns that the US may seek occupation of Pakistan after the discovery of al-Qaeda chief in the country's soil, Politico reported.

"I see the whole thing as a mess, and I think that we are going to be in Pakistan," the Texas Republican said. "I am absolutely afraid we will be in Pakistan trying to occupy that country."

He went on to describe his observation as being based on American foreign policy over the past two or three decades, adding that any such move this time in Pakistan will have "unintended consequences."

"It will probably be very unsuccessful," added the congressman, who is also a critic of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Paul called into question the number of stories surrounding the raid on bin Laden's alleged compound in the city of Abbottabad, and urged the administration of US President Barack Obama to come clean about its operations at a time when the information fed to the media is changing on a daily basis.

"How many stories have we heard already about the killing of bin Laden," he questioned. "I mean, people are supposed to know what their government's doing. If you ask me exactly what happened, I have no idea because I've heard so many stories."

The US lawmaker also stated that he would not have given the green light to the mission to kill bin Laden, because of problems with international law, and accused the US administration of violating Pakistan's national security.

Obama announced on May 1 that US forces conducted a military operation in Pakistan without the knowledge of the host country to kill what the US government describes as the 'most wanted man' in the world in his compound near the capital city of Islamabad.

Observers ask why the US did not allow for an official identification of bin Laden's body through a DNA testing before permanently disposing it while a number of former US military officers as well as some Pakistani officials have already asserted that bin Laden was killed during the early stages of the US-led invasion of Afghanistan.

Many Pakistani military and intelligence officials argue that the US falsely claims that bin Laden has been killed as part of a wider scheme to invade the country.