Since the President now says he had information back in August that bin Laden was in Pakistan, credence is lent to the report in October by a NATO official that Osama bin Laden was living in comfort in northwest of Pakistan. At the time, the story for publication was that bin Laden was living in a cave in Afghanistan. This contradiction was ridiculed.

The NATO official claimed access to intelligence information showing that Bin Laden was moving between houses in the Chitral district and the Kurram valley. The Pentagon refused to comment.

The Pakistan government denied any evidence that Bin Laden was in the country. The Pakistanis said, if it were true, they would take immediate action.

Even Richard Holbrooke, the special US envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, ridiculed the report, saying "We hardly have a day that goes by where somebody doesn't say they know where Osama bin Laden is." This now appears to be misdirection.

It also appears the U. S. either did not trust Pakistan to act or Pakistan refused to act for political reasons, so the U. S. acted unilaterally, to accomplish the task.