Leaked NATO report accused Pakistan of aiding Taliban

The Pakistani security services are directly aiding the Taliban in Afghanistan and have direct influence over its top leadership, a leaked out NATO report claimed on Tuesday.

The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) revealed the confidential NATO report that was derived from thousands of interrogations of insurgents captivated by allied forces. The report alleged that Pakistan’s top spy agency ISI (Inter Services Intelligence) has complete information about whereabouts of the top Taliban commanders.

The report stated, “Pakistan’s manipulation of the Taliban senior leadership continues unabatedly.” The Taliban also have wide support among the local people, it added.

The BBC reported that the secret document for the first time revealed the relationship between the Taliban and the Pakistan’s spy agency. The report was derived from 27, 000 interrogations with more than 4, 000 captivated militants, belonged to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.

It stated, “As this document is derived directly from insurgents it should be considered informational and not necessarily analytical. Afghan civilians frequently prefer Taliban governance over the Afghan government, usually as a result of government corruption.”

The report further added, “Afghan civilians frequently prefer Taliban governance over the Afghan government, usually as a result of government corruption.”

The confidential report also revealed information about well-known association between the militants and Afghan police.

According to the secret document, the influence of Taliban has been amplified in the areas where ISAF (International Security Assistance Forces) has withdrawn. The government and local security agencies showed little resistance against the Taliban or in some cases provided help to establish their hold, it added.

Spokesman for NATO, Lt Col Jimmie Cummings, commented over the report, “It was a classified internal document that is not meant to be released to the public. It is a matter of policy that documents that are classified are not discussed under any circumstances.”

Washington expressed concerns over the deteriorated situation in Afghanistan. The US Department of Defense said it could not comment on the report but set out its fears about Pakistan and its influence in Afghanistan.

Pentagon spokesman Captain John Kirby commented over the report, “We have long been concerned about ties between elements of the ISI and some extremist networks.”

However, the Pakistani authorities vigorously denied the report, saying it did not have links with the Taliban on previous status.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=11349

Posted by Faisal Farooq on Feb 1 2012. Filed under Latest News, National, Pakistan, World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.