Afghanistan: Pakistan accused of backing Taliban

[kraznyi_oktjabr]

Pakistan has been accused of playing a double game, acting as America's ally in public while secretly training and arming its enemy in Afghanistan according to US intelligence.

In a prison cell on the outskirts of Kabul, the Afghan Intelligence Service is holding a young man who alleges he was recruited earlier this year by Pakistan's powerful military intelligence agency, the ISI.

He says he was trained to be a suicide bomber in the Taliban's intensifying military campaign against the Western coalition forces - and preparations for his mission were overseen by an ISI officer in a camp in Pakistan.

After 15 days training, he was sent into Afghanistan.

"There were three of us. We were put into a black vehicle with black windows. The police did not stop the car because it was obviously ISI. No-one dares stop their cars. They told me... you will receive your explosive waistcoat, and then go and explode it."

Taliban bases in Pakistan

The man recruited to be a suicide bomber changed his mind at the last minute and was later captured by the Afghan intelligence service.

But his story is consistent with a mass of intelligence which has convinced the Americans that, as they suspected, for the last decade Pakistan has been secretly arming and supporting the Taliban in its attempt to regain control of Afghanistan.

These suspicions started as early as 2002, when the Taliban began launching attacks across the border from their bases in Pakistan, but they became more widely held after 2006 when the Taliban's assault increased in its ferocity, not least against the ill-prepared British forces in Helmand province.

The final turning point in American eyes was the attack on Mumbai when 10 gunmen rampaged through the Indian city, killing 170 people - two weeks after Barack Obama's US presidential election victory in November 2008.

Despite Pakistan claiming it played no part in the attack, the CIA later received intelligence that it said showed the ISI were directly involved in training the Mumbai gunmen.

President Obama ordered a review of all intelligence on the region by a veteran CIA officer, Bruce Riedel.

"Our own intelligence was unequivocal," says Riedel. "In Afghanistan we saw an insurgency that was not only getting passive support from the Pakistani army and the Pakistani intelligence service, the ISI, but getting active support."

Article continues here

Note: Last updated 26 October 2011 at 04:03 GMT

[Osmium Steele]

While interesting, it is nothing new over here. We've known the ISI has been stabbing us in the back the whole time.

It is to be expected. They are keeping their fingers in the pie so when the inevitable happens, they are there to fill the void left by the coalition forces withdrawal.

International politics is way more of a cesspool than the US domestic version. We're positively civil over here, by comparison.

[CCIP]

Well, it's them or Iran that the spoils from Afghanistan will go to.

Not that Afghanistan really matters, anyway. The really scary thing is that this is more evidence of Pakistan's state apparatus failing and fragmenting, and of the extremist, anti-Western elements in it coming into increasingly powerful positions. At this rate, we're in for a head-on collision with Pakistan in a very near future. More seriously though, Pakistan is on the way to another head-on collision with India at this rate.

[soopaman2]

Originally Posted by Osmium Steele

While interesting, it is nothing new over here. We've known the ISI has been stabbing us in the back the whole time.

It is to be expected. They are keeping their fingers in the pie so when the inevitable happens, they are there to fill the void left by the coalition forces withdrawal.

International politics is way more of a cesspool than the US domestic version. We're positively civil over here, by comparison.

Yeah, just confirming the obvious. They get an immense amount of money from us, and they know that gravy train will end once we leave.

I wonder how they would feel if we were to strengthen our ties with India? Maybe pull them into the "special friend status" that the the big dogs of Europe enjoy.

I bet they would feel betrayed... Maybe we can hide one of their public enemies in our country if the India thing is too much.

(I dare them to attempt a helo raid here.)

[JU_88]

Originally Posted by Osmium Steele

While interesting, it is nothing new over here..

^This.
IMHO the US and it allies should pack up their overseas wars and pre-empted strikes, go home and spend the money on defending their own borders from the inside and maybe also concentrate fixing our goverment debts and broken enconemies.
There are plenty of other cheaper an more effective counter terrorsim messures avaliable, we dont need these conflicts or draconian legislation like patriot 1 and 2. it solves nothing -
its total BS.
I'd sooner take my chances of being blown up in the name of Allah - than see more money and lives go down the proverbial drain that is this phoney war on terror and rouge nations.. even with NO counter terrorism we are all still a million times more likley to die of cancer or a car accident.
I dont see a war on cars or cancer...

Disagree with me if you want, i dont care.

[TLAM Strike]

The ISI has been helping the Taliban since "The Bear Went Over the Mountain".

[MH]

Originally Posted by TLAM Strike

The ISI has been helping the Taliban since "The Bear Went Over the Mountain".

[Osmium Steele]

Originally Posted by CCIP

More seriously though, Pakistan is on the way to another head-on collision with India at this rate.

Hrm, I'm not seeing much more than the usual squabbling on the India front.

All my info is pointing to a total economic collapse within a decade at the outside. More likely 5 - 6 years. The wealthiest families, industrialists all, have forced banks to loan them literally billions of dollars over the last 50+ years without repayment. The government prints money to cover the losses, but the economy just cannot handle much more.

Of course, that is only one example of the myriad ways the Pakistan economy is fubared. The folks are getting mighty upset over there.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by JU_88

rouge nations...

You're saying they're Communist? Wear makeup?

[JU_88]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

You're saying they're Communist? Wear makeup?

Oh bloody hell its the spelling police. Yes... damn these tranny tyrants

[August]

Originally Posted by JU_88

^This.
IMHO the US and it allies should pack up their overseas wars and pre-empted strikes, go home and spend the money on defending their own borders from the inside and maybe also concentrate fixing our goverment debts and broken enconemies.

What and listen to another generation of Brits rag on us for being late to the war against the next hitler that comes along?

[JU_88]

Originally Posted by August

What and listen to another generation of Brits rag on us for being late to the war against the next hitler that comes along?

Lol perhaps...
But maybe we should wait for one of these hitlers to actually perpatrate a 'hitler like' crime first, e.g threatern to invade or attack an neighbouring country with sizable army.
So now Iran has Nuclear program, so? as soon as they get a bomb they will attack is Isreal? is that it?
if that happened it would be open season on Iran from just about every military power across the globe. Iran knows this and I expect they care about their self preservation too.
Israel itself has a sizable military and its the only country in the reigion that already has nukes pointed at everyone. They can bloody well look after themselves.

Our (US and UK) antics over the last decade haven't really accomplished all that much (other than piss most the world off.) Some would argue that we are the hitler.

[August]

Originally Posted by JU_88

Our (US and UK) antics over the last decade haven't really accomplished all that much (other than piss most the world off.) Some would argue that we are the hitler.

Some would but they'd mostly be people who thought 9-11 was an inside job.

[JU_88]

Originally Posted by August

Some would but they'd mostly be people who thought 9-11 was an inside job.

Dont think so, I reckon alot the global 9/11 sympathy wore off somewhat after the mess that was Iraq. 9/11 wasnt really a valid pretext to enter any other conflict after Afganistan.
I seriously feel rotten for every solider and civilan who has been killed or maimed in Iraq, to my mind it just wasnt worth it.

[August]

Originally Posted by JU_88

9/11 wasnt avalid pretext to enter any other conflict after Afganistan.

Bull. We had all the pretext we needed when Saddam shot at our aircraft patrolling the no fly zone in violation of the cease fire agreement.

As for world sympathy when did having it ever do us any good?

I seriously feel rotten for every solider and civilan who has been killed or maimed in Iraq, to my mind it just wasnt worth it.

Your feelings are laudable but how rotten would you feel if Saddam having been left in power had taken the revenge we both know he was itching for?