Pakistan simmering
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=794580
There are “indications” that elements of Pakistan’s intelligence service are lending support to al-Qaeda and Taliban militants, the top US military officer said.
“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 has to change.”
Pakistan’s Inter-Services Agency (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 attacks of September 11, 2001, Washington demanded Islamabad ensure ISI cut its ties to 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.
India has directly accused its neighbour’s powerful military intelligence agency of involvement in last year’s Mumbai attacks that killed 165 people.
Pakistan has denied the government has links to the Mumbai attackers or to al-Qaeda and its allies.
Mullen’s comments came as President Barack Obama unveiled a new US strategy for the war in Afghanistan, in which he called for Islamabad to crack down on insurgents operating inside Pakistan’s borders.
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=794499
President Barack Obama has escalated war efforts in Afghanistan, thrusting more troops and billions of dollars into the campaign, as US allies pledged fresh help to quell the country’s deadly insurgency.
Obama vowed to win the conflict being waged by al-Qaeda and Taliban militants in Afghanistan and Pakistan, saying the situation is “increasingly perilous” and warning terror groups they face defeat.
The US moves were cheered by allies ahead of an international conference on Afghanistan in The Hague next week.
Britain is reportedly preparing a troop increase in Afghanistan and Russia said it’s ready to step up cooperation with NATO in the country. EU countries said they could increase civilian help.
“Multiple intelligence estimates have warned that al-Qaeda is actively planning attacks on the US homeland from its safe-haven in Pakistan,” Obama said in a televised speech on Friday announcing a review of the war.
“We have a clear and focused goal: to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al-Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan and to prevent their return to either country in the future,” he said.
The president said 4,000 more US troops will be sent to Afghanistan to train the army and police – on top of an extra 17,000 combat forces already authorised – and aid to Pakistan will be tripled to $US7.5 billion ($A10.65 billion) over five years.
“Make no mistake, al-Qaeda and its extremist allies are a cancer that risks killing Pakistan from within,” he said, hours after a suicide bomb at a mosque in Pakistan killed more than 50 people and wounded 50 more.
But he warned Pakistan must play a more active role in eliminating militant groups. “After years of mixed results, we will not and cannot provide a blank cheque.”
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“Multiple intelligence estimates have warned that al-Qaeda is actively planning attacks on the US homeland from its safe-haven in Pakistan,”
when i see al-qaeda mentioned alongside a country..you just know whats going to happen..becoming more and more obvious with each day..2 stories in one day relating to it..yeah, i think the gloves are off now
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What interests me is that no one mentions Obama’s connection to Pakistan, that he spent time there visiting his mother when she lived there. Makes you wonder.
Hmm, so we have Pakistan, North Korea, and the Washington Times is now reporting that “Hezbollah is using the same southern narcotics routes that Mexican drug kingpins do to smuggle drugs and people into the United States, reaping money to finance its operations and threatening U.S. national security, current and former U.S. law enforcement, defense and counter-terrorism officials say.”
didnt know that mrwolf..great point to throw in the mix
intrigued, it looks like they are setting up sides with that report from the WT
threat of nuclear war (Pakistan destablization with India neighbor), threat Mexican border collapse and Mexican gov’t collapse, and continual downspirl of economy… threats easily could turn into actuals to put the people of the U.S. and other countries into total or near total submission… bread lines, computer chips under the skin, internet 2, etc., etc…