Pakistan agents 'helping Taleban'

[SwordFish_13]

A leading US think-tank has accused members of Pakistan's intelligence service, the ISI, of aiding Taleban fighters in neighbouring Afghanistan.

In a new report, funded by the Pentagon, the Rand Corporation said individual Pakistani agents had provided intelligence to insurgents.
Pakistan has always denied such allegations in the past.


The Rand report says Pakistani sources tipped off the Taleban about the movement of Afghan and foreign forces.


This had undermined several American and Nato operations, the report said.
The Rand report also said that some of the ISI staff gave the Taleban financial help and organised medical care for wounded militants.
Last month, Nato criticised negotiations between Pakistan's new government and the Taleban, saying cross-border attacks in Afghanistan were on the rise.


Pakistan's army has swapped prisoners with the Taleban and cut troop numbers in a tribal area near Afghanistan, stirring growing alarm in the West.


Nato and the US say such deals have led to "safe havens" for the Taleban and al-Qaeda along the border.

Source:BBC News

 

[A Can of Man]

This is actually pretty old news.

 

[AikiRooster]

Wouldn't surprise me a bit, to include folks from Iran, Syria, China and Russia as well and maybe others too.

 

[A Can of Man]

No, ISI's relationship with the Taliban is quite intimate.

 

[ObjSRgtLw]

wow the Pentagon... so it must be true
It's like the "Bild- Newspaper" in Germany i guess :-o

 

[A Can of Man]

hehehe. No but the ISI's relationship with the Taliban is well documented. Hence the quick recognition by Pakistan of the Taliban's rule of Afghanistan when it took over.

 

[84RFK]

Well, I guess the Pakistanis are just thankfull for the talibanis crossing the border into Afghanistan to do raids and not the oposite way...
The Pakistani-Afghan border has never been watertight, and there's always been raids and smuggeling going on there.

No doubth the Pakistanis lack the power to mop up taliban on the Pakistani side of the border, but do they lack the will to do it as well?
Given that the moslem fundamentalists hold a strong position within the Pakistani opinion, it could result in a fierce uprising against the present regime in Pakistan if they did it.

Bottom line is: You don't want civil war in a country with nuclear capacity!

 

[A Can of Man]

The Pakistanis don't have the motivation. Without their populations to the west in these tribal areas, Pakistan will be a small country vulnerable against India.
Many borders in the world are not watertight... after all, the whole concept of a solid national boundary is a European invention.
Knowing what the ISI probably know about what's in the western region, chances are Pakistan does have some level of means to take down the Taliban in those areas. But they won't due to allegiances.