Panetta: Officials in Pakistan had to know about bin Laden 
 
 By Meghashyam Mali - 
 
 Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta says he believes government authorities in Pakistan knew about the whereabouts of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. 
 
 "I personally have always felt that somebody must have had some sense of what was happening at this compound," said Panetta about the fugitive's hideout in an interview to air Sunday on CBS's 60 Minutes. 
 
 The terrorist leader was killed by U.S. Navy SEALs in a raid on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan in May. The operation was carried out without the cooperation of Pakistani authorities. 
 
 "Don't forget, this compound had 18-foot walls. It was the largest compound in the area. So you would have thought that somebody would have asked the question, ‘What the hell's going on there?’” said Panetta. 
 
 Pakistan's government has denied knowing that bin Laden was hiding in a military garrison town 30 miles from the capital city of Islamabad. 
 
 Panetta said the U.S. did not alert the Pakistanis to the secret operation because of fears they might tip off the elusive bin Laden. 
 
 "We had seen some military helicopters actually going over this compound," said Panetta. 
 
 "It concerned us that... they might... give bin Laden a heads up." 
 
 Panetta added, "I don't have any hard evidence, so I can't say it for a fact. There's nothing that proves the case. But, as I said, my personal view is that somebody somewhere probably had that knowledge.” 
 
 Tensions between the U.S. and Pakistan have grown since the successful raid, which Pakistan viewed as an affront to its sovereignty. 
 
 In August a skirmish on the Afghan border between U.S. forces and Pakistani troops left 24 Pakistanis killed by a NATO air strike, which led to a further deterioration in relations. 

 Washington (CNN) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is acknowledging publicly the key role a Pakistani doctor who assisted the United States ahead of the strike on Osama bin Laden's compound last May that killed the terrorism mastermind. 
 
 The doctor who provided key information ought to be released, Panetta told CBS's "60 Minutes" in a segment set to air Sunday. 
 
 "I'm very concerned about what the Pakistanis did with this individual," Panetta told CBS. "This was an individual who in fact helped provide intelligence that was very helpful with regards to this operation. And he was not in any way treasonous towards Pakistan." 
 
 Dr. Shakeel Afridi helped the CIA use a vaccination campaign to collect DNA samples from residents of bin Laden's to verify the terror leader's presence there. 
 
 Pakistan, which expressed its anger over the raid without consulting Pakistani authorities, has charged Afridi with treason. 
 
 "Pakistan and the United States have a common cause here against terrorism, have a common cause against al Qaeda," Panetta said. "And for them to take this kind of action against somebody who was helping to go after terrorism, I just think is a real mistake on their part." 
 
 Panetta said Pakistan can discipline Afridi in whatever manner it deems appropriate but the doctor should be released. 
 
 Many analysts felt U.S. officials had kept quiet about Afridi so as to not implicate him. 
 
 Panetta also told CBS that he remains convinced that someone in authority in Pakistan knew that bin Laden was hiding in the city of Abbottabad, a largely military community outside the capital, Islamabad. 
 
 He said there were intelligence reports of Pakistani helicopters passing over the bin Laden compound. He also questioned why the Pakistanis would not notice the vast complex with 18-foot walls. 
 
 "So you would have thought that somebody would have asked the question, 'What the hell's going on there?'" Panetta said. "I personally have always felt that somebody must have had some sense of what was happening at this compound." 
 
 Panetta said the United States chose not to inform Pakistan of the raid due to security concerns. 
 
 "We had seen some military helicopters actually going over this compound. And for that reason, it concerned us that, if we, in fact, brought (Pakistan) into it, that they might ... give bin Laden a heads up."
– Defense chief Leon Panetta talks about the capture of Osama bin Laden with CBS' 60 Minutes in an interview airing tomorrow, and two main points are generating headlines: Pakistan knew? He suspects government authorities knew bin Laden was in Abbottabad, notes the Hill. "I personally have always felt that somebody must have had some sense of what was happening at this compound," he said. Why? Start with those 18-foot walls. "It was the largest compound in the area. So you would have thought that somebody would have asked the question, ‘What the hell's going on there?’” In fact, the US didn't tip off Pakistan about the raid because it feared word would get out to bin Laden, he added. Doctor's help: Panetta acknowledged that Pakistan doctor Shakeel Afridi provided intelligence—via a vaccination campaign to collect DNA samples from locals, notes CNN—to pinpoint bin Laden's whereabouts. Now he's being held in Pakistan on charges of treason. "I'm very concerned about what the Pakistanis did with this individual," Panetta said, adding that "he was not in any way treasonous towards Pakistan." He called on authorities to release Afridi.