File photo of a drone. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
WASHINGTON: American intelligence agencies could lose their air bases used for drone strikes in Pakistan and for responding to a nuclear crisis in the region if they withdraw all troops from Afghanistan, The New York Times (NYT) reported.
If President Barack Obama were to withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year, the CIA would have to close down its drone bases in the country because it could no longer be protected, the NYT report quoted US administration officials as saying.
Such a withdrawal would mean US forces would not be able to respond to a crisis in the region "such as missing nuclear material or weapons in Pakistan and India".
“You hear about the president’s decision of the ‘zero option’ [no American troops would remain in Afghanistan] in the context of the future of Afghanistan, but this is really more about Pakistan,” one former senior intelligence official told NYT.
The intelligence agencies’ concern is that the nearest alternative bases are too far away for drones to reach Pakistan’s mountainous territory where remnants of al Qaeda’s central command are hiding, the report further stated.
The Obama administration has reportedly organized a team of intelligence, military and policy specialists to address the issue.
Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz is to meet Secretary of State John Kerry in Washington on Monday (today) to discuss counter terrorism operations. Talks are likely to include the issue of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, drone strikes and the safety of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, among other key issues.
According to the NYT report, in recent years, Pakistan has increased its drive to build small tactical nuclear weapons that could be used to repel an Indian invasion. The report states that American intelligence agencies have invested heavily in monitoring the Pakistani arsenal as those weapons are considered vulnerable to theft or use by a rogue commander.
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@Rex Minor: "Be careful-wrong end of the stick" Dear Rex, Although I usually agree with your missives I do not understand your point in relation to the wrong end of the stick. I would be grateful if you could expand.
@Sexton Blake:
Be careful, the man who is used to taking the wrong end of the stick carries a name of the creator!
Rex Minor
@Ch. Allah Daad: Dear Ch. Allah Daad, Why do you get it wrong so often? Syrian is just the last in a string of Muslim countries, which have been devastated by non-Muslim countries.
Ar least the women and children will be safe from drone attacks.
Muslim States provide most modern and expensive weapons to their armed forces but when time comes large chunk of weapons are used against another Muslim State or against their own people. Recent example is Syria, The weapons which were supposed to be used against Israel are being used against its own people. Therefore USA should not worry about Pakistani nuclear weapons. They will never be used against Americans, even if they fall into the wrong hands.
Good - the US needs to get the heck out of our region.
Both India and Pakistan must give up their nuclear weapons. You never can tell what might happen.
@antanu: So India is a growing power after.
Under Obama the US wants to withdraw and withdraw fast. If it feels there are threats emanating from this reason it could pound (with or without Afghan bases) at its will. We seem to have forgotten that Uncle Sam possesses aircraft carriers and stealth drones too. So even Karzai's brinkmanship gives an early excuse to Obama, it will not be totally toothless. No need to protect its troop in the grounds in Afghanistan will relieve it from using its drones routinely. But we have to understand and likes of the Kaptaan, how will we handle situation then all alone?
@Aalia: @John: Or it could be just that they used the Indo-Pak binary to keep Pakistanis happily deluded for the moment.
Such excitment about nukes is ironic in weak economy, strong inflation, frequent electricity shut downs.....
C'mon! Beat it America! You ain't no good for the stability of this region.
“You hear about the president’s decision of the ‘zero option’ [no American troops would remain in Afghanistan] in the context of the future of Afghanistan, but this is really more about Pakistan,” one former senior intelligence official told NYT. ,,it always was about Pakistan!
“such as missing nuclear material or weapons in Pakistan and India”. So Indians don't be happy, US does not trust you either!
@Muntazir:
Perhaps, it's a sign of his above average intelligence that he didn't read that particular report.
At last the US has come out in the open that the whole exercise of occupying Afghanistan had major overtones of Pakistans nuclear programme. So if Pakistan is adroitly handling the relations with US ,particularly when they donot allow US to manipulate them Pakistan is blamed for playing double game. By the way what US is doing is ?
How convenient. Perhaps the man didn't read a bit of the report conforming that Pakistan has much better nuclear security apparatus in place than both China and India.