U.S. military chief, in Pakistan, eyes militant ties

Abu Talib

Feeling low
(Reuters) - The top U.S. military officer accused Pakistan's intelligence agency of maintaining ties to militants targeting U.S. troops in neighboring Afghanistan, during a trip to Islamabad on Wednesday.

The comments by Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, were not the first by U.S. officials pointing the finger at elements of Pakistan's Directorate of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and their alleged links to the Haqqani network.

But his forceful, and repeated remarks to Pakistani media about those ties, suggest Washington is not about to back away from calls for Pakistan to take a more assertive stand against Haqqani -- even as the United States seeks to mend diplomatic ties with Islamabad.

U.S.-Pakistan ties have been strained this year by the case of a CIA contractor Raymond Davis, who shot dead two Pakistanis in Lahore on January 27, as well as by tensions in Pakistan over U.S. drone strikes that have fanned anti-American sentiment.

"It's fairly well known that the ISI has a longstanding relationship with the Haqqani network," Mullen told Pakistan's daily Dawn newspaper, one of three interviews he held.

"Haqqani is supporting, funding, training fighters that are killing Americans and killing coalition partners. And I have a sacred obligation to do all I can to make sure that doesn't happen.

"So that's at the core -- it's not the only thing -- but that's at the core that I think is the most difficult part of the relationship," said Mullen, ahead of talks with Pakistan's army chief, General Ashfaq Kayani.

Pakistan's powerful ISI has long been suspected of maintaining ties to the Haqqani network, cultivated during the 1980s when Jalaluddin Haqqani was a feared battlefield commander against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.

A senior Pakistani intelligence official rejected any suggestion of collusion.

"I don't know what kind of relationship he's talking about. If he means we're providing them with protection, with help, that's not correct," he said. "Even if you are enemies, you have a relationship."

He said Pakistan had attacked Haqqani's positions and raided his mosques in the past. "Right now, we are not attacking him because we are fully engaged against another group, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)," he said.

'GOOD' MILITANTS?

Pakistan has been criticized in the past for distinguishing between "good" Taliban militants and "bad" ones, with the Haqqani network falling squarely into the former category.

While based in Pakistan's wild North Waziristan area on the Afghan border, Haqqani refrains from attacking the Pakistani state and is seen as a way to maintain Pakistani influence in any future political settlement in Afghanistan.

The TTP, on the other hand, is a declared enemy of the Pakistani state and has been at war with its army since 2007.

Mullen acknowledged the U.S.-Pakistan relationship had endured a turbulent period because of the Davis case.

A Pakistani court acquitted Davis of murder charges last month after a deal that involved the payment of compensation, or "blood money," to the families of the two men he killed.

Davis said the men were trying to rob him.

"The ability to sustain a very difficult period as we have recently, between Pakistan and the United States, is in some ways indicative of the strength of the relationship," Mullen said.

"That doesn't mean we don't have challenges to continue to address, because we do."

In the wake of the incident, some Pakistani officials have called for sharp cuts in drone attacks. But a U.S. official in Islamabad said the drone programme would continue.

Pakistani journalists pressed Mullen about the drone attacks, with one television reporter asking him to explain to viewers "why drones are still important and why the U.S. is not the proverbial 'bad guy'."

U.S. officials do not publicly acknowledge the U.S. drone programme, leaving Mullen to only restate his confidence in U.S.-Pakistan ties.

"What's really important is the relationship between our two countries," Mullen said.
 

msmoorad

mommys boy
salaams to all

i dont understand the motives of the ISI (Pakistani Intelligence) but i do know for sure that if the west stopped interfering in the Central Asia/Afghanistan/Pakistan area- there would be less problems & loss of innocent lives.
here is a simple list of what i believe are the motives/reasons for the various players/parties who are involved in that area:

1. religious hatred
2. racist hatred
3. imperialist looting of natural resources and mineral wealth.
4. build permanent military bases near China & Russia- two major threats to US superiority.
5. drug lords (within and outside of intelligence services).
6. arms sales and other war profiteering.
7. loanshark capitalism – Jewish bankers of Europe & America.
8. empire building .. land acquisition
9. mercenaries attracted to violence & fat paychecks.
10. generals attracted to advancement in the ranks and becoming famous.
11. revenge for defeats suffered against the Afghans over the years.

another issue is that is that many NGO’s and many staff of NGO’ are actually spies or CIA agents.
they use the cover of journalists, aid workers or “embassy staff” to legitimise their presence in Afghnaistan
another issue is that there are some NGO’s that are nothing more than christian missionary organisations- they want to “save” the afghans- they go into remote areas and try to fool simple farmers.
then there is the issue of the vast majority of the funds allocated for the Afghans not reaching them. Instead it goes towards salaries & living expenses of NGO staff.

then we have mercenaries from companies like Xe(formerly Blackwater) who believe they are continuing with the Crusades and are "fighting the good fight" by killing all the "hajis" & "towel/ragheads"


and Allah ta'ala knows best
jazakallah
 

MalikBrother

Junior Member
US Forces Kicked Off Shamsi Air Base

Submitted on April 22, 2011 – 5:20 pm

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has stopped all US operations from the Shamsi Air Base in Balochistan, an airport which was given to American forces for use after 9/11 and drone attacks were launched from the base on targets in the tribal areas, military sources have confirmed. It was also used extensively in 2001 when thousands of US sorties took off to bomb Afghanistan a few weeks after the 9/11 attack in New York.
As the relations between Islamabad and Washington have strained due to latter’s mounting interference and repeated breach of Pakistan’s sovereignty, the US Embassy spokesman, Alberto Rodriguez, confirmed that there are no US forces at the Shamsi Air Base in Balochistan.

Pakistan Air Force (PAF) spokesperson, when approached about his version on the vacation of US forces and the deadly drones from Shamsi airfield, explained that the airfield does not belong to the PAF while the Pakistan Army sources confirmed that the airfield was free from the American forces.

For complete story,please click below



http://www.pakistankakhudahafiz.com/2011/04/22/us-forces-kicked-off-shamsi-air-base/#more-12393
 

MalikBrother

Junior Member
A procession, an anti NATO one is occurring right at this moment where Imran Khan and Shireen Mazari are participating where they are currently in Nowshera heading to Peshawar, I'm getting constant emails updates because of a newsletter I subscribed to a few years back.

There were some distressing photos attached of children killed by the drone strikes in the Northern Western regions, I didn't want to post it as I don't think many would have be able to stomach seeing a child with half his head missing. I haven't been feeling well ever since I saw them.

Those interested can subscribe to it here: - http://www.ahmedquraishi.com/

There's no pictures of the children in this article: -

Pakistan Comes Together For Brave Pakistanis Of Waziristan


Posted by Web Editor on Apr 23rd, 2011

http://www.ahmedquraishi.com/2011/04/23/pakistan-comes-together-for-brave-pakistanis-of-waziristan/

^ Credit goes to 'Allahismyrefuge' from WUP (wakeup project).
 

MalikBrother

Junior Member
Pakistan Able to Shoot Down Drones: Dr Samar

Source: http://www.pakistankakhudahafiz.com...ble-to-shoot-down-drones-dr-samar/#more-12406

LAHORE (INP) – Nuclear scientist Dr Samar Mubarak Mand, former Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission head, said on Friday that Pakistan has the capability to shoot down CIA-operated drones as it had shot down an Israel-made Indian drone plane.

Talking to the media, Dr Samar said that Pakistan had F-16 fighter jets which were capable of shooting down any kind of drone predator. He said that an Indian drone that had been sent to attack Lahore was successfully knocked down by Pakistan. He also observed it was strategic issue and the final decision in this regard rested with the govt. It is pertinent to mention that similar statements had been issued time and again by Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman that Pakistan is capable of shooting down the US predator aircrafts.
 

msmoorad

mommys boy
salaams to all

insha allah, the people of Pakistan will unite & put aside their sometimes petty differences for the greater good.
they should also purge the govt & military of all those elements that continuously conspire with the west to kill innocent people.
then they must make it clear to the west that they are not welcome in Pakistan.
i know it sounds like wishful thinking but Allah ta'ala works in strange ways.

and Allah ta'ala knows best
jazakllah
 

InsaneIcon

New Member
salaams to all

insha allah, the people of Pakistan will unite & put aside their sometimes petty differences for the greater good.
they should also purge the govt & military of all those elements that continuously conspire with the west to kill innocent people.
then they must make it clear to the west that they are not welcome in Pakistan.
i know it sounds like wishful thinking but Allah ta'ala works in strange ways.

and Allah ta'ala knows best
jazakllah

Insha-Allah,but i don't see it coming until the corrupt leech blood sucking government leaves
 
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