Pakistan rejects US demand to retain intelligence centres: Report

The Los Angeles Times reports Pakistan had earlier asked the US to close "fusion cells" located in Peshawar, Quetta.

Pakistan has rejected appeals by the United States (US) not to close three of its military intelligence liaison centres, according to a report published in the US newspaper the Los Angeles Times.

The US had earlier been asked to close these centres, according to a report in the same newspaper.

The Los Angeles Times reports that two of the liaison centres, known as fusion cells, are in Peshawar while one is working in Quetta. The fusion cells help coordinate operations on both sides of the border and are the US military’s main conduits to share satellite imagery, target data and other intelligence with the Pakistani army.

The newspaper claims that the step effectively removes US advisers from the frontlines of the war against terrorism in Pakistan.

The closure of these cells is being seen as the latest in several steps that have manifested the growing mistrust between the US and Pakistan.