Pakistan's main spy agency still arms, trains Taliban despite US pressure, research s

[Paparock]

Pakistan's main spy agency still arms, trains Taliban despite US pressure, research says

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/06...e-says-report/

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan's main spy agency continues to arm and train the Taliban and is even represented on the group's leadership council despite U.S. pressure to sever ties and billions in aid to combat the militants, a research report concluded.

The findings could heighten tension between the neighboring countries and raise further questions about U.S. success in Afghanistan since Pakistani cooperation is seen as key to defeating the Taliban, which seized power in Kabul in the 1990s with Islamabad's support.

U.S. officials have suggested in the past that current or former members of Pakistan's powerful Inter-Services Intelligence agency, or ISI, have maintained links to the Taliban despite the government's decision to denounce the group in 2001 under U.S. pressure.

But the report issued Sunday by the London School of Economics offered one of the strongest cases that assistance to the group is official ISI policy, and even extends to the highest levels of the Pakistani government.

"Pakistan's apparent involvement in a double-game of this scale could have major geopolitical implications and could even provoke U.S. countermeasures," said the report, which was based on interviews with Taliban commanders, former Taliban officials, Western diplomats and many others.

"Without a change in Pakistani behavior it will be difficult, if not impossible, for international forces and the Afghan government to make progress against the insurgency," said the report, written by Matt Waldman, a fellow at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas, spokesman for the Pakistani army, which controls ISI, rejected the report, calling it "rubbish."

"In the past, these kinds of baseless and unsubstantiated allegations have surfaced and we have rejected them," said Abbas.

He pointed out ISI has suffered many casualties fighting militants in the country.

But the Pakistan military's campaign has been focused on Pakistani Taliban who have launched attacks within the country, not Afghan Taliban fighting NATO troops in Afghanistan. The army has resisted U.S. pressure to wage offensives in areas of the country the Afghan Taliban use as sanctuaries, despite billions of dollars in American military and civilian aid.

Many analysts believe Pakistan is reluctant to oppose the Afghan Taliban because it believes the militant group may be the best partner for countering the influence of archenemy India in Afghanistan after NATO forces withdraw.

"Interviews suggest that Pakistan continues to give extensive support to the insurgency in terms of funding, munitions and supplies," said the report.

In addition, "ISI continues to sanction and support military training centers for insurgents and a large number of (Islamic schools) that actively encourage their students to fight in Afghanistan," it said.

Pakistani support is channeled toward both the Afghan Taliban led by Mullah Mohammad Omar, who is believed to be based in the Pakistani city of Quetta, and the Haqqani network, which is allied with the Taliban but operates fairly independently, said the report. The Haqqani network is based in the North Waziristan tribal area along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan.

Pakistan's spy agency has considerable control over both groups and even has agents on the Taliban's leadership council, which is known as the Quetta shura, said the report.

"Interviews strongly suggest that the ISI has representatives on the shura, either as participants or observers, and the agency is thus involved at the highest level of the movement," it said.

One of the most surprising allegations in the report is that Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and a senior ISI official visited some 50 high-ranking Taliban fighters this spring being held at a secret prison in the country and told them they were only arrested because of U.S. pressure.

Zardari reportedly told them they would be released and that Pakistan would help support their operations, according to a Taliban member who was one of about a dozen insurgents set free just three days after the president's visit....

Read it all> http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/06...e-says-report/

[Israel Lover]

I wonder what do these Fu.. Pakestanis want ???!!!
Is it peace or war ?

[cute_assassin]

I feel they do it for 2 reasons....
1. they obviously sympathize with the terrorists.
2. For them it has become an industry, and they are capitalizing on it. hardcore capitalists?? On one hand they will "fight" the terrorists (ofcourse the one's which they have no use for anymore or have developed friction) and for this our govt. pays our tax dollars to them as aid of all sorts..
And on the other hand the pakis use part of these tax dollars to grow the jihadi network, and to keep their link secretive enough..... All adding up to growing business to their "industry"
A fact also is that the pakis want the taliban insurgents to be a part of the afghan govt. so they can have solid influence in kabul and prevent any New Delhi interference. That way afghanistan may be used as training grounds for jihadis, thereby removing pakistan from the spotlight of terrorist funding, while it may continue to support them and exorbitantly charge us!

[Paparock]

Then the United States should stop all financial aid to Pakistan since they wish to aid those killing Americans.

[cute_assassin]

You are right, but if you must understand there always are people who try to do right by themselves, in this case, they want to try and make the pakis remorse their actions and assist them in turning a new leaf.... maybe these guys dont get it that the pakis are aiding the terrorists and that is the true fundamental of pakistan govt./military or they are still skeptic and want hard evidence of direct link b/w the govt/military/isi & the jihadis....

in the end I guess, Obama is just not upto the task.... ordering soldiers to execute terrorists instead of the situation in Bush era, where orders were given for capture & interrogation... Does Obama not realize the value of intel in military conflicts? One would've hoped for better from a harvard grad.. but then again Obama is a socialist/marxist and all for communists.....

What do you think about the defense sector? One can not deny the obvious business this brings to them by supplementing an arms race between India & Pakistan-China?
Maybe somebody smart enough in India/Israel/US/UK can come out with some kickin scalar weapons...... it would most certainly help...... they are indirectly the true road to peace in the world