SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pakistan 'Asks US to Cut CIA's Role'
CIA weighs greater co-ordination and information sharing with ISI while Pakistan demands fewer American operatives.
Apr 12, 2011
CIA is considering greater co-ordination and information sharing with Pakistan's intelligence agency, US officials say.
Leon Panetta, the CIA director, and Ahmed Shuja Pasha, the head of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence, met on Monday at the CIA headquarters in Washington to discuss the relationship.
The New York Times newspaper said Pakistan has demanded that the US steeply reduce the number of CIA operatives and Special Operations forces working in Pakistan, and that it put on hold CIA drone attacks aimed at fighters in northwest Pakistan.
In all, about 335 American personnel - CIA officers and contractors and Special Operations forces - were being asked to leave the country, the US daily reported quoting a Pakistani official closely involved in the decision.
The reductions were personally demanded by the chief of the Pakistan army, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, according to Pakistani and US officials, who requested anonymity while discussing the sensitive issue with the New York Times.
"Director Panetta and General Pasha held productive discussions today, and the CIA-ISI relationship remains on solid footing," Preston Golson, a media spokesperson for the CIA, told Al Jazeera on Monday.
"The United States and Pakistan share a wide range of mutual interests, and today's exchange emphasised the need to continue to work closely together, including on our common fight against terrorist networks that threaten both countries."
US and Pakistani officials said the Pakistanis want the CIA to identify all its employees in Pakistan.
Pakistani officials complain that the CIA has been freelancing on its soil, running dozens of US citizens doing low-level espionage missions in their country.
Davis incident
Earlier this year a CIA security contractor shot two Pakistanis dead in Lahore, Pakistan. The CIA's refusal to claim Raymond Allen Davis as its own in the initial weeks after his arrest fed that belief, Pakistani officials say, further fracturing the trust between the CIA and ISI.
Only after the CIA admitted that Davis, a former Special Forces soldier, was a CIA contractor did the ISI agree to step in and persuade the families of the dead to accept money in lieu of prosecuting Davis, Pakistani officials say, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive negotiations.
Before Monday's meeting between Panetta and Pasha, Pakistani officials said joint counterterrorist operations with the CIA had been on hold, limited to the sharing of information since the Davis incident, although US officials disputed that.
Pakistani officials also want advance notice of CIA drone attacks. They say that an attack in mid-March hit dozens of civilians, but US officials claim they were fighters.
Pakistani officials say joint counterterrorist operations with the CIA were limited to information sharing after the Davis incident, though US officials dispute that.
Pakistan rejected last week a White House report's conclusion that it was doing too little to stop Taliban fighters' movements on its soil, and that it lacked a long-term strategy to stop extremist activities.
US intelligence and military officials believe factions in the ISI support Taliban and other armed groups, which are killing US troops just across the border in Afghanistan.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
CIA is considering greater co-ordination and information sharing with Pakistan's intelligence agency, US officials say.
Leon Panetta, the CIA director, and Ahmed Shuja Pasha, the head of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence, met on Monday at the CIA headquarters in Washington to discuss the relationship.
The New York Times newspaper said Pakistan has demanded that the US steeply reduce the number of CIA operatives and Special Operations forces working in Pakistan, and that it put on hold CIA drone attacks aimed at fighters in northwest Pakistan.
In all, about 335 American personnel - CIA officers and contractors and Special Operations forces - were being asked to leave the country, the US daily reported quoting a Pakistani official closely involved in the decision.
The reductions were personally demanded by the chief of the Pakistan army, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, according to Pakistani and US officials, who requested anonymity while discussing the sensitive issue with the New York Times.
"Director Panetta and General Pasha held productive discussions today, and the CIA-ISI relationship remains on solid footing," Preston Golson, a media spokesperson for the CIA, told Al Jazeera on Monday.
"The United States and Pakistan share a wide range of mutual interests, and today's exchange emphasised the need to continue to work closely together, including on our common fight against terrorist networks that threaten both countries."
US and Pakistani officials said the Pakistanis want the CIA to identify all its employees in Pakistan.
Pakistani officials complain that the CIA has been freelancing on its soil, running dozens of US citizens doing low-level espionage missions in their country.
Davis incident
Earlier this year a CIA security contractor shot two Pakistanis dead in Lahore, Pakistan. The CIA's refusal to claim Raymond Allen Davis as its own in the initial weeks after his arrest fed that belief, Pakistani officials say, further fracturing the trust between the CIA and ISI.
Only after the CIA admitted that Davis, a former Special Forces soldier, was a CIA contractor did the ISI agree to step in and persuade the families of the dead to accept money in lieu of prosecuting Davis, Pakistani officials say, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive negotiations.
Before Monday's meeting between Panetta and Pasha, Pakistani officials said joint counterterrorist operations with the CIA had been on hold, limited to the sharing of information since the Davis incident, although US officials disputed that.
Pakistani officials also want advance notice of CIA drone attacks. They say that an attack in mid-March hit dozens of civilians, but US officials claim they were fighters.
Pakistani officials say joint counterterrorist operations with the CIA were limited to information sharing after the Davis incident, though US officials dispute that.
Pakistan rejected last week a White House report's conclusion that it was doing too little to stop Taliban fighters' movements on its soil, and that it lacked a long-term strategy to stop extremist activities.
US intelligence and military officials believe factions in the ISI support Taliban and other armed groups, which are killing US troops just across the border in Afghanistan.
CIA is considering greater co-ordination and information sharing with Pakistan's intelligence agency, US officials say.
Leon Panetta, the CIA director, and Ahmed Shuja Pasha, the head of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence, met on Monday at the CIA headquarters in Washington to discuss the relationship.
The New York Times newspaper said Pakistan has demanded that the US steeply reduce the number of CIA operatives and Special Operations forces working in Pakistan, and that it put on hold CIA drone attacks aimed at fighters in northwest Pakistan.
In all, about 335 American personnel - CIA officers and contractors and Special Operations forces - were being asked to leave the country, the US daily reported quoting a Pakistani official closely involved in the decision.
The reductions were personally demanded by the chief of the Pakistan army, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, according to Pakistani and US officials, who requested anonymity while discussing the sensitive issue with the New York Times.
"Director Panetta and General Pasha held productive discussions today, and the CIA-ISI relationship remains on solid footing," Preston Golson, a media spokesperson for the CIA, told Al Jazeera on Monday.
"The United States and Pakistan share a wide range of mutual interests, and today's exchange emphasised the need to continue to work closely together, including on our common fight against terrorist networks that threaten both countries."
US and Pakistani officials said the Pakistanis want the CIA to identify all its employees in Pakistan.
Pakistani officials complain that the CIA has been freelancing on its soil, running dozens of US citizens doing low-level espionage missions in their country.
Davis incident
Earlier this year a CIA security contractor shot two Pakistanis dead in Lahore, Pakistan. The CIA's refusal to claim Raymond Allen Davis as its own in the initial weeks after his arrest fed that belief, Pakistani officials say, further fracturing the trust between the CIA and ISI.
Only after the CIA admitted that Davis, a former Special Forces soldier, was a CIA contractor did the ISI agree to step in and persuade the families of the dead to accept money in lieu of prosecuting Davis, Pakistani officials say, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive negotiations.
Before Monday's meeting between Panetta and Pasha, Pakistani officials said joint counterterrorist operations with the CIA had been on hold, limited to the sharing of information since the Davis incident, although US officials disputed that.
Pakistani officials also want advance notice of CIA drone attacks. They say that an attack in mid-March hit dozens of civilians, but US officials claim they were fighters.
Pakistani officials say joint counterterrorist operations with the CIA were limited to information sharing after the Davis incident, though US officials dispute that.
Pakistan rejected last week a White House report's conclusion that it was doing too little to stop Taliban fighters' movements on its soil, and that it lacked a long-term strategy to stop extremist activities.
US intelligence and military officials believe factions in the ISI support Taliban and other armed groups, which are killing US troops just across the border in Afghanistan.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy