News
Thursday, September 29, 2011
No disagreement in Pentagon on Pakistan role, says US* Pentagon spokesman says Panetta endorses view of Admiral Mullen
* White House refrains from seconding Mullen’s views
WASHINGTON: The Pentagon rejected reports on Wednesday of disagreement among US officials over Pakistan’s role in Afghanistan after the top US military officer accused Islamabad of backing extremists.
A Pentagon spokesman said Defence Secretary Leon Panetta endorsed the view of Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, who told senators last week that Haqqani militants targeting NATO forces were a “veritable arm” of Pakistan’s main intelligence agency. “The secretary and the chairman both agree that there are unacceptable links between elements of the Pakistani government and the Haqqanis,” press secretary George Little told reporters.
The Pakistani elements backing the Haqqani network “include the ISI” spy agency, he said. The Washington Post reported on Wednesday some defence and other officials disagreed with Mullen’s remarks and that the admiral had overstated the role of the ISI. Unnamed officials told the Post that US intelligence reports did not have clear evidence Pakistan was exerting control over the Haqqanis, blamed for deadly attacks on US and NATO troops.
But Little said there was a “consensus view” in the Pentagon about the links between Pakistan and the Haqqani network, which operates out of sanctuaries in Pakistan. “Everyone here understands there’s a link between elements of the Pakistani government and the Haqqanis,” he said. “At the analytic level, there’s no disagreement,” he added.
Mullen’s outspoken comments to the Senate Armed Services Committee carried special significance as he has devoted much of his four-year tenure to cultivating relations with his Pakistani counterpart and has often tried to explain to American audiences the challenges facing the leadership in Islamabad. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal published on Wednesday, Mullen stood by his unprecedented criticism, saying he could not tolerate casualties caused by militants backed by Pakistan. “I’m losing people, and I’m just not going to stand for that,” said the admiral.
Meanwhile, the White House on Wednesday declined to reinforce Mullen’s warning that the Haqqani network was a “veritable arm” of Pakistani intelligence. But a senior official again candidly said Washington was concerned about links between the network and Pakistani’s ISI. “It is not language I would use,” said White House spokesman Jay Carney, when questioned whether the president shared the views Admiral Mike Mullen. “It’s a matter a matter of semantics,” said Carney, seeking to ease the row over the comments by noting Pakistan’s close cooperation in the past in the US struggle against al Qaeda.
“The administration’s view... is that the continuing safe havens that the Haqqani network enjoys in Pakistan and the links between the Pakistani military and the Haqqani network are troubling, and we want action taken against them,” Carney added. agencies
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk