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US has concerns over ISI ties with extremists
Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby says US has long been concerned over elements in ISI having ties to extremists.
Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby says US has long had concerns over links between Pakistan's spy agency and extremists. PHOTO: defense.gov
WASHINGTON: While declining to comment on the BBC story on a leaked NATO report which links Pakistan to the Afghan Taliban, the US said that they have had concerns about ties between the Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan’s premier spy agency, and some extremist networks.
Pentagon spokesperson Captain John F. Kirby told The Express Tribune on Wednesday: “We have long been concerned about ties between elements of the ISI and some extremist networks.” He added that the Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta has been clear that “he believes the safe havens in Pakistan remain a serious problem and need to be addressed by Pakistani authorities.”
On Tuesday, briefing a Senate committee on intelligence, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said that Pakistan has had limited success against militants.
While the CIA director Gen. (Retd) David Petraeus addressing the same committee said success against some al Qaeda leaders was a result of cooperation from Pakistan.
Reader Comments (19)
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We have concerns about the US ties to the Pakistan Taliban.
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US want help from Pakistan and at the same time leave no stone unturned to malign Pakistan?
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OMG! How dare Pakistan have links with taliban *sarcasm^
If my memory serves me correct, America removed talibans from terrorist list and in talks with them. They pursued talibans to open office in Qatar. So its kosher when Americans to do but how dare Pakistan or ISI can maintain mere links
Perhaps Mr. John Kirby is forgetting ISI is an intelligence agency and maintaining contacts is their business. He should ask and learn something from CIA.
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Come on. Is there any reason for ISI to trust united states since they they abandoned pakistan after soviet war and did not support us in 65 war against india. I think united states first need to revisit their own strategies
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US has strong ties with Taliban extremists. Is that not a concern why Pakistan. They want to put all debris on Pakistan after exiting from defeated Afghan war. US is double standards as always.
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Oh no,,,,really. that is so worrying. Meanwhile elsewhere let CIA and Taliban work together for peace and stability in the region. You are so full of it that it is not even funny any more.
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U interfare in whole world what about that???
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@SM:
Well Said Broooo…..:)
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I think the West needs to remember who created all of these foreign extremists to first kick out the Soviets in Afghanistan. In the process they also made the present Taleban who they dumped on Pakistan after the Soviets were kicked out. It’s easy to blame Pakistan but deep down the West knows they are really the ones responsible.
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America needs to understand that ISI first priority is to safe guard Pakistan interest not US or NATO concerns. Had the Americans and the NATO put some thought into their foreign policy rather then jumping into Afghanistan war they would have been in much better position today. we may criticize the ISI but they are still the best bet for Pakistan.
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We Pakistanis have concerns of your ties with Baloach Extremist and radicals , ties with TTP , ties with balck water who is causing suicide attacks in PAK
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as a shia we want to extend our hand of co-operation to put an end to sunni talebani E
extremism.Recommend
wow…. really! and what about our concerns?
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@Mohammad Ali Siddiqui:
Actually the US does not need to do anything. PAK does a much better job.
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We also know that Pakistan Taliban is funded and protected by the US and perhaps other state players interested in the disintegration of the Pakistani state.
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@shiasishia: you are surely not a Muslim and a Pakistani , you came to counter the strong arguments in the comments done by Pakistani in retaliation .u r an outsider
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There is a difference between contacts and ties. Pakistan has ties the us has contacts
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so you US, really want to say , we (PK) is funding them??? you are out of your minds, i dont have doubt, but every single person who listen to you is also out of his mind, i doubt it…so are they just pretending that they agree to US mafia, or they actually are so dumb. or there is some greater game.
im not giving a conspiracy theory, but we PK doesnot have money to pay our salaries, or pensions, or railway engines, or airlines, just forget about the hungry poors, and medicine-less people not only in flooded areas but all accroess the country. and you say we have resources to fund the biggest organization in the world , Taliban??? i agree, just for your sake, Pk is morally supporting them, lets just assume that, from where they get their funds???I need an explanation mr US. you have lost the economy of your gigantic economy coz you were fighting war here in afgan, you cannot afford it, you thing we can afford it, we cannot afford it even for one day. its definatley YOU mr US, alongwith ur allies accross the world who are supporting and funding these pathetic morons called taliaban. its your games, not ours.it was ur game to even start these taliban against USSR not ours. we were just hungry maggots who just needed money from anywhere, so we acted for you, but we dont have guts, we dont hae money, we dont have resources to play such games.
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@pakistani i am a shia and a pakistani. We have been slaughtered almost everyday by sunni extremists what do u expect us to do. We are not against all sunni muslims but just against sunni terrorists. If we have to take help from Iran or US we will its a matter of our life but before that comes our religion.Recommend