According to friends in Islamabad: It was a mansion, and the Pakistani gov. probably knew.

I just had a conversation with a family I know who live in Pakistan (long story) and they told me a couple of interesting things. First of all, by local standards, it was definitely a mansion, and definitely was worth millions of dollars. Also, this guy told me years ago the most likely thing was that bin Laden was in a mansion in Islamabad. Well, he was close... just outside of Islamabad.

He also said that the Pakistani intelligence agency was likely aware of and funding Osama bin Laden. See, the Pakistani government makes a lot of money on the War on Terror, and the OBL boogeyman was great for business. A common conception among people living in Pakistan is that the military is basically faking the war against the Taliban there... they fire into empty fields and laugh about it with Taliban soldiers, is the word on the street.

Fox News is toying with the idea of what should we do about Pakistan? Well, the fact is, the situation would probably be a lot better if we just wouldn't do anything. Pouring money into their military is creating a problem... they will never win that war, because if they do, they lose their source of income. If we want to improve things there, what they desperately need is education, an alternative to madrassahs where all they learn is how to recite the Quran in Arabic, a language they do not even speak. This is, of course, how suicide bombers are created... people who can't even read indoctrinated since childhood that if they memorize the Quran, they will be rewarded with wealth. When their wealth does not come, the Mullahs tell them it's because of the Americans, and that they'll get all that stuff after they die in Jihad. Where did this ideology come from? It took over in Afghanistan when the CIA funded it to fight the Soviets.

So why are we continuing to feed this fire we set instead of putting it out? In the long run, getting rid of Osama bin Laden may, in some small way, help, although a real alternative to this ideology can only come through education, inclusion, and modernization. But if we executed him when we could have captured him (notice I said IF, although it seems more and more likely), then we lost the opportunity of a long, slow, inconvenient trial that some people here seem to think isn't worth the effort. It is worth the effort, however, because trying demagogues gives society an opportunity to publicly and meticulously dissect their ideology and show its putrid innards and black, shriveled heart to the world. Some people will never be convinced, but this is one of the best ways to keep someone from becoming a martyr in the eyes of the masses. That's the opportunity we missed if we deliberately executed this man.

Edit to add a quote: "In the next week or so, you will find out that this guy was funded by the ISI here.. I can gurantee it.. these people think that they are soo slick that no one knows better.. but they are about as slick as a 5 year old with popcicle stains around their mouth.. saying they didnt eat it."

There are way too many people that have used Osama to steal billions of dollars to have him spill any secrets. In regard to Pakistan, we do not have to give them billions of dollars a year to focus them on their own survival and prosperity. There are many ways to pressure Pakistan to do the right thing. In short, we should stop the aid and get out of Afghanistan.

If we want to give them money, it should be for that.

Fears growing in Pakistan that foreign aid from U.S. will end.

from that situation, imo.

We use them too when it suits us.

It suits Pakistan.

We aren't going to get divorced because of it.

You're saying we wouldn't hold it against them because we do the same?

They now say it was worth at most $250,000. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/04/osama-bin-laden-hideout-worth.

...

Not shocking, at all.

but not your bullshit.

But "the Pakistani government" is even less a single coherent entity than is normal for governments. When it comes down to it, you've got a bunch of factions running around, including individuals with their own agendas. Was Bin Laden being sheltered by the entire government? Just the ISI? Just the military? The ISI and the military? A handful of people in each organization? One powerful sympathizer? Three? It may be impossible to ever know exactly, although getting a good idea of what happened is probably going to be the CIA's number one priority or the foreseeable future.

that it's not necessarily a cohesive entity. But that military aid is one of those rising tides that sort of lifts all ships... there appears to be a culture of corruption. Obviously not 100% of them are corrupt, but corruption is rampant.