hollowman

WASHINGTON: There are ‘indications’ that elements of Pakistan's intelligence service lend support to Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants, the top US military officer said on Friday.

‘There are certainly indications that's the case,’ Admiral Mike Mullen told CNN when asked if elements of Pakistan's spy agency were backing the al Qaeda network and its Taliban allies.

‘Fundamentally that's one of the things that have to change.’ Pakistan's Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has been widely accused of refusing to sever its links with Islamist groups that date back to the Cold War and the US-backed fight against Soviet forces in Afghanistan.

After the September 11 attacks, Washington demanded that Islamabad ensure the ISI cut its ties with the Taliban and al Qaeda, but there have been persistent reports that some members of the spy service remain in league with the extremist networks.

Mullen's comments came as President Barack Obama unveiled a new strategy for the war in Afghanistan, in which he called for Islamabad to crack down on insurgents operating within Pakistan's borders.

The admiral earlier told reporters that Pakistan's role posed a major challenge to the war in Afghanistan, although he acknowledged that Islamabad had made some progress in fighting insurgents on its border with Afghanistan.

‘They've moved dramatically over the last seven, eight months with their Frontier Corps who's had a big impact,’ Mullen said, referring to Pakistan's troops on the western border.

‘It's dramatically improved’ compared to two years ago, he added. ‘They've done pretty well, they've done a lot.’ Larger numbers of Pakistan regular army troops were also now operating in the border area in recent months, he said.

Mullen expressed hope for more progress but said there was a ‘trust deficit’ between Pakistan and the United States that he and other government officials were working to overcome.

A crucial part of the new strategy for Afghanistan was a ‘regional approach’ that would try to reduce tension on Pakistan's eastern border with India over the disputed territory of Kashmir to free up Pakistani troops to counter militants on the western border, Mullen said.

‘One of the reasons the regional approach is so important is to de-tension the Kashmir border so that the Pakistani military is not completely tied up on that border, and they are able to train, equip and fight on the western border in the counter-insurgency effort,’ he said.

Pakistan sees itself as fighting a ‘two-front’ war, in Kashmir and against insurgents in the northwest, he added.

Asked about what leverage the United States had over Pakistan, Mullen suggested that aid Washington was offering might be linked to progress in fighting insurgents.

‘There are linkages between support, aid, whatever the case might be, that I think we need to evaluate in terms of that assistance,’ he said.

source: world famous "Dawn"
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why ISI always love to be with Monsters?

Khehkeshan

Because members of the ISI S(uicide) Wing come from the traditional recruiting areas of the military. These same areas are where they teach such crazy concepts as islamic ummah which lead to even more crazier concepts like strategic dept through rogue militant groups. These ideas become ingrained in their heads and they base policy from them.

aam bandha

These monsters are the foot soldiers they need when the army takes over Pakistan ........ you will notice the activites of fundamentalist groups increase when military dictatorships are ruling Pakistan ......

iShaz

You seem to know a lot about Pakistan?

Bail Out

you give them 100% evidence of the link and they won't do a thing about it. because they can't. anyone who tries to lift a finger against this nexus ends up with a horrible fate in Pakistan...eg: Benazir Bhutto, Daniel Pearl etc

khoji

Zia was the one who started infiltrating Pakistan army and ISI with people with very radical (fasadi) views, like Hamid Gul and Aslam Beg. These Taliban monsters are the creation of these very same fasadis in ISI.
Musharraf started purging army and ISI of these anti-Pakistan elements. But there still are some of them remaining.

Anwer Pasha

Army and ISI are doing their best but they are blamed only due to their previous links , We should support them on their new role, We are here easy to criticise them but their role is cery difficult. They have must to please USA otherwise India only need a signal from US .

Salahuddin Ayyubi

yeah sala US admiral-shiral and WMD, ISI wala and god knows what.

Shak killS

ISI should be moster to enemies of Pakistan. Similar way RAW, CIA, Mossad are mosters to many countries.

now slapping everything jihadi idealogy on ISI wouldnt be fair! cause CIA has and had links with Al qaeda and Taliban.

Constant media compaign against ISI and Pakistan is part of major plan to destablise Pakistan.

there are two type of Talibans- Pro Pakistan and Anti Pakistan and there is Al qaeda.

RAW/US/CIA are happy with Anti Pakistan Talibans as they serve them very effectively and Al qaeda is also linked to it. Al Qaeda is enemy of Pakistan and Afghanistan and Muslim world in general as they provide excellent oppertunity to US to invade countries. It has done damage to Muslim world, Pakistan and Afghanistan always. not to forget Osama bin laden was/is the biggest ally during soviet war and trained and supported by CIA at the time and may be even now.

now what CIA/RAW/US is not happy about the mujahideen who faught wars along with them. these people are not Taliban not linked to Mullah Umer. and they are not against Pakistan and dont declare war against Pakistan in contrast to CIA/RAW sponsored Mehsud Talibans.

one has to look into bigger picture to understand completely. painting story in own favour through media is easy , realities are rather much different.

If some one ask US with all its might force and agents, why it is failed to deliver in Afghanistan? it need to do more instead of trying to find escape goats in shape of PAkistan or ISI.
is ISI more powerful and resourceful than CIA?? certainly not!

teggy

Admiral seems to forget US was the largest donator of finances and weapons to the Taliban, but ofcourse they were good "back then".

Enough said!

ISI and Armed Forces are Pakistan's line of defence against all external and internal threats, and therefore they are worthy of praise. US Admiral can say whatever he wants and it won't matter much. On the contrary, he'll be visiting PA/ISI often because US/Nato are dependant on them for their success in Afghanistan.

mercenary2k

The Taliban did not exist when they fought the Soviets...they were created in 1992

US also gave weapons to Shah Masood who was assassinated by al qaeda terrorists one day before 9/11 so that America could not use the northern alliance against Taliban when they will attack after 9/11 attacks

US Admiral is correct

Pakistan is living in a fool's paradise if it thinks it can impose its will over Afghanistan and continue to wage a proxy jihad in Kashmir

Time for Pakistan to end this jihad business and focus on developing its country

This Jihad mentality is leading Pakistan to total destruction

Patriotgames

Sir Jee, Taliban sure did existed before 1992. They are based on the same group that fought the US war against the "Evil" "Communist Empire" where the USSR was brought down. It was armed and trained by CIA, MI6 and even Mossad to fight against the USSR. Later on the US just left after the war ended without caring about findind a fix to put all these fighters from all over the region into place. The predominantly Pushto speaking group of fighters was later transformed and became known as Taliban but they were the same fighters who fought Russians to gain control over afghanistan (a plan that ran haywire due geopolitical and economical reasons.) Watch the movie "Charlie Wilson's War" and you would find out how arrogantly and irresponsibly the US left afghanistan in a mess back then leaving all the burden and mess for Pakistan to deal with. A very selfish move by US.

hanibal

Just another desi trying to be American!!!!

aam bandha

US interest in Afghanistan was to remove Soviet influence ...... once that was done they moved on ...... what is wrong with that. They removed an external force / country and the it was upto the afghans to sort out their differences!!!!

I am sure if US had stayed a day more after the Soviet withdrawl everyone would have started calling them an "occupying force" . What happened in Afghanistan after Soviet withdrawl was an internal Afghanistan mess and they should have sorted it out !!! Everyone likes to have a scapegoat and US is the favourite one in this part of the world (not that they have not created their share of mess around the world).

Bigboi

they wanted jihad, they shall get it.

Bigboi

just another *** who needs to put his *** opinion in the net! w/o a *** reason

by the way, the guy is absolutely right what he is saying! When you fight for materialism and especially for land and not for Allah. Does Jihad mean to fight for land or for Islam and Allah?

Captain FT

seems to me as if there are also CIA agents in GS. Ehh?

Captain FT

propaganda machines trying to do the same thing as US is doing all accross the world.

Amour

finding the few members trying to start and support such threads,, CIA, RAW may have infiltrated on GS and boards like this on net!

Amour

strongly agree here with you., no wonder the wanna bees, and anti pakistan lot didnt respond to this!