- The Washington Times - Saturday, March 15, 2014

A Pakistani doctor convicted of treason for helping the CIA track Osama bin Laden had his sentence reduced by 10 years to a total of 23 years.

Dr. Shakeel Afridi was sentenced to 33 years and given a fine of $3,500 last May. His current sentence, which does not include time spent in jail prior to his conviction, would end on May 23, 2035 and his fine has been decreased to $1,000, CNN reported.

Dr. Afridi orchestrated a fake vaccination campaign to collect DNA samples from relatives of bin Laden and to help the CIA verify the Al-Qaeda leader’s presence within the compound in Abbottabad.

This verification led to the U.S. Navy Seal raid that killed bin Laden in May 2011.

The vaccination ruse has had adverse affects, prompting militants to target anti-polio campaigns in Pakistan. Since July 2012 at least 22 polio workers have been killed, CNN reported.

• Kellan Howell can be reached at khowell@washingtontimes.com.

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