Pakistan

Terrorist safe havens: CIA chief joins chorus against Pakistan

Mike Pompeo says we will protect our country if Pakistan fails to act against terrorists

News Desk January 08, 2018

the statement comes amid heightened tensions between the two countries with trump lambasting pakistan of giving 039 nothing but lies and deceit 039 adding that quot they think us leaders to be fools quot photo reuters

The statement comes amid heightened tensions between the two countries with Trump lambasting Pakistan of giving'nothing but lies and deceit'adding that "they think US leaders to be fools".PHOTO: REUTERS

In the wake of US President Donald Trump's allegations that Pakistan is providing safe havens to terror outfits on its soil, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Chief Mike Pompeo doubled down on those claims in an interview to CBS.

The CIA chief said that they would "protect" the US if Pakistan fails to address the issue.

"We see that Pakistan is continuing to provide safe havens inside of Pakistan for terrorists who present risks to the United States of America," Pompeo said.

"We are doing our best to inform the Pakistanis that that is no longer going to be acceptable," he added.

We will do everything we can to destroy militant safe havens in Pakistan: CIA chief

"If they fix this problem, we're happy to continue to engage with them and be their partner. But if they don't, we're going to protect America."

The statement came amid heightened tensions between Islamabad and Washington with Trump lambasting Pakistan of giving'nothing but "lies and deceit" adding that "they think US leaders to be fools".

"They give safe havens to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!" Trump said in his tweet last week.

The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 1, 2018

COMMENTS (13)

ishrat salim | 6 years ago | Reply You have used lies & deceit of WMD to justify invasion of Iraq, not us. you protect your country, we will protect our country by the grace of Allah swt.

ishrat salim | 6 years ago | Reply You keep your US safe, we will keep our home safe. No more do more, you do more at your end. 16 years in Afghanistan, trillions of dollars spent but you have not made the Afghan police & the Army capable of fighting the criminals & terrorists. You & your allies have not been able to stop the growth of popy plant ( terrorists main source of finance ) in Afghanistan. 16 years & yet the terrorists are controlling 40% 0f the Afghan territory. You are trying to pass the buck of your failures on to our shoulders, no way. you created those monsters, you tame them. You have plunged this whole region from S Asia, to Mid East to Afghanistan to Pakistan in to chaos. You have created a mess in Iraq, Libya & Afghanistan to protect your country, same way we will stand united to protect our country & our people. We are not Iraq, Libya or Afghanistan.

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Raj | 6 years ago | Reply True. Pakistan must decide whether it wants to abide by its UN committments that, it will not support terrorists or just get aggressive like North Korea and become a pariah state. Option is with pakistan.

Nikki KHAN | 6 years ago | Reply protect US and don't blame Pakistan please

Khan muhammad | 6 years ago | Reply When you have people like Hafiz Saeed starting political parties and molanas holding the capital hostage, to the point where even the military is helpless, its time that we realize that there is a problem.

Ts | 6 years ago | Reply Usa should be thrown out of afghanistan as afghan taliban are freedom fighters

Iqbal Faridi | 6 years ago | Reply Yes, foot soldiers and mid level leaders are the refuges living in pakistan. When young return to afgan, they are tasked with carrying out attack. The leaders in afgan buy weapons from Indian recruits; they sale a portion of what is supposed to used against Pakistan. It is a complicated for US to figure out. When US first started operation against Taliban, taliban sympathizer pretended as anti taliban. US gave radios to call for US F16 if they come across taliban hideouts. They tricked US airforce to attack their neighbors to settle scores or other anti taliban. All they had say, taliban is gathering. One even called for attack on a wedding troupe, because he wanted stop the marriage of his secret love. Some duped US air force to work as their private air force. I guess, present US leader are not aware of all that. They check Time or Newsweek to verify those. They need to think like how afgan conduct biz, not what US or west behave. They should also.presiure India not use afgan against Pakistan. Because so of these weapons from india makes its way to taliban. Only days ago, I read, some the weapons the US and Saudi gave anti Asad and ISIS rebel, made their way into the hands of ISIS; some less thN two weeks. I think it was saudi /iraqi intelligence report.

Travis L | 6 years ago | Reply This time it's for real.

ZAK | 6 years ago | Reply CIA should do something about controlling ISIS in Afghanistan. US is keeping blind eye on ISIS growth in Afghanistan.

vext | 6 years ago | Reply That's the exclamation point on top of the Trump exclamation point. What's it going to take b4 Pakistan figures out that Trump isn't Obama?

Ike | 6 years ago | Reply Its time to tell the US that they need to cut down on their diplomatic mission personnel in Pakistan to the same size we have ours on their soil. Then we shall see how the CIA reacts.

Sunil | 6 years ago | Reply CIA is watching entire Pakistan through satellite as well as in plain clothes inside Pakistan.

clueless | 6 years ago | Reply This isn't anything new - and yet it has never gotten any traction inside Pakistan. It's obvious the USA isn't inventing Haqqani/Pakistan connection yet nobody wants to have have open discussion on merits/downsides. Ample evidence that Pakistan's "free press" ain't so free.

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