Pentagon: Pakistan ISI Behind Deadly Attacks in Afghanistan, CIA Increase Drone Strikes

Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen called the Haqqani network a "veritable arm" of the ISI. Testifying alongside Mullen, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the U.S. has warned Pakistani authorities it will not tolerate a continuation of the group's cross-border attacks... In a congressional hearing.
The Pakistani government, through its intelligence service, is "actively involved" in directing the militant Haqqani network to launch terrorist attacks against U.S. and Afghan government targets in Kabul, U.S. military officials said.
The officials told NBC News the ISI, Pakistan's powerful spy agency, directed the attacks by Haqqani militants on the U.S. Embassy on Sept. 13 and on the Inter-Continental Hotel on June 28. It's suspected ISI also had a role in the massive truck bombing targeting an American base in eastern Afghanistan on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, the officials said.
In a congressional hearing Thursday, Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen called the Haqqani network a "veritable arm" of the ISI. Testifying alongside Mullen, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the U.S. has warned Pakistani authorities it will not tolerate a continuation of the group's cross-border attacks.
Military officials told NBC the Pakistanis are convinced that the U.S. is preparing to totally withdraw all its forces from Afghanistan and are "hedging their bets" for when that day arrives. "They're looking ahead, well past the Americans," an official said.
According to one senior military official, "the attacks are aimed at undermining the credibility of the Afghan government" so when the Americans leave, Pakistan will wield some influence over Kabul, NBC reported. "They're double-dealing," cooperating with the U.S. against al-Qaida in Pakistan, on the other undermining (hand) U.S. efforts in Afghanistan."
Mullen and Panetta have publicly emphasized the U.S. is prepared to do whatever is necessary to protect American forces in Pakistan. One official said that could include unilateral U.S. military strikes against the Haqqani network inside Pakistan, but added it would be "foolhardy" to discuss any specific planning.
Pakistan's interior minister, Rehman Malik, immediately denied the allegations and warned the U.S. not to launch military strikes in Pakistani territory. "The Pakistan nation will not allow the boots on our ground, never," said Malik. The U.S. "must respect our sovereignty."
In his final congressional testimony before retiring next week, Mullen said success in Afghanistan is threatened by the Pakistani government's support for the Haqqani network.
Repeating a charge he made earlier this week, Mullen said Thursday that with Pakistani support the Haqqanis were behind not only the Sept. 13 embassy assault but also a recent truck bomb that wounded 77 U.S. soldiers and a June 28 attack against the Inter-Continental Hotel in Kabul — as well as "a host of other smaller but effective operations."
Mullen said Pakistani intelligence is using the Haqqanis and other extremist groups as its proxies inside Afghanistan.
Mullen said Pakistan's government has chosen to "use violent extremism as an instrument of policy," adding that "by exporting violence, they have eroded their internal security and their position in the region. They have undermined their international credibility and threatened their economic well-being."
Mullen also deplored the "pernicious effect" of Afghanistan's own poor governance and corruption.
"If we continue to draw down forces apace while such public and systemic corruption is left unchecked," Mullen told the Senate Armed Services Committee, "I believe we risk leaving behind a government in which we cannot reasonably expect Afghans to have faith. At best this would lead to localized conflicts inside the country; at worst it could lead to government collapse and civil war."
Panetta also decried Pakistani support for the Haqqani network. He said new CIA Director David Petraeus met recently with the head of the Pakistani intelligence agency and told him the U.S. won't stand for continued cross-border attacks by Haqqani militants.
"They must take steps to prevent the safe haven that the Haqqanis are using," Panetta said. "We simply cannot allow these kinds of terrorists to be able to go into Afghanistan, attack our forces and then return to Pakistan for safe haven."
He repeated the point later, adding, "That is not tolerable."
Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich, chairman of the committee, pressed Panetta on what options are available to the U.S. to go after the Haqqani network. Panetta declined to go into details publicly but made clear that the Pakistanis know what might happen.
"I don't think they would be surprised by the actions we might or might not take," he said. He also said he has not "spelled out" for the Pakistanis what unilateral actions the Obama administration would be willing to take.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Pakistan
• ISI
• Deadly
• Attack
• Afghanistan
• Mullen
• Panetta
• Haqqani
• Talaban
• Pentagon
• Behind
• Attacks
• CIA
• Drone
• Strikes

[qazibasit]

@vipinwwefan Americans think they only have the right to live and enjoy life, rest are all aliens and should be wiped from the face of the world.

[killahvibes]

why not declare ISI a terrorist network and have pakistan dismantled bit by bit. No one likes Pakistan its a false state created by the British government hoping to have leverage in that area after departure in 1947, which has failed as simple muslims are always silenced by the extremist mullahs. Pakistan along with saudi are true hubs of Islamic conquest-ism and terrorism. And geo-politically it would be very wise to wage war on Pakistan now and cut of the head of this poisonous Islamic snake.

[thesaurus123i]

@killahvibes

America bombed pakistan with the thought that pakis will love their aid and justifing the "terrorist threat"(its nothing to them to kill people to prove and propagate).pakis cant say americas bombing us,cz america cn say "there actually with terrorists"..so ISI killed some american soilders in afghan an now there crying...

[devilsKrEEd]

USA's Gov and CIA r prick.Trying to direct global media to their likes.The bush administration for more than 7 years didn't brag about haqqanis or other bombings on Pakistan.Trying 2 sneeze out their failures on Pakistan.Pakistan has aready been financially crippled by Usa by allying in the so called waronterror.An ally through which 40-50% american equpment transits to afghanistan and who even led them use air bases in their territories getin nailed .Cnn Bbc are all irresponsible propagandists.

[MrDangarasd]

yes brave taliban great warriors of afghanistan,kill these kafirs americans and britshit criminal soldiers,yes brave taliban long live taliban and may allah protect you allways from these evil illuminaties lucefirian nato.keep you good work allways and don't let these american criminal soldiers to sleap with peace.long live taliban'

[konfusedlrka]

"ISI" terror in the eyes of terrorists.....yeah :-)

Pentagon

C.I.A

Mossad

Raw

all defeated by I.S.I.....long live "inter services intelligence" Pakistan

.

Long live Pakistan

Pakistan Zinda-abad..........painda-bad

[junaidfiaz]

@tjobtjobtjob then what the hell RAW is doi g in your country ? they are simply attacking us by sending trained terrorists in pakistan . if you guys will support RAW then ISI is doing right thing attacking those assholes

[tjobtjobtjob]

@junaidfiaz  it aint propaganda... ISI has been behind the terror in afghanistan.

[umair1926]

America is fucked in Afghanistan therefore crying

[junaidfiaz]

keep doing propaganda Ugly states of america

[junaidfiaz]

@killahvibes why not to declare RAW terrorist group ?