Author: Agencies
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: September 9, 2011
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/isi-responsible-for-death-of-americans-in-afghanistan-senator/843972/0
Terming Pakistan's intelligence service as
the biggest danger to the Afghan government, a top US Senator has said that
spy agency ISI was responsible for the death of several Americans inside war-ravaged
Afghanistan.
"Pakistan has become the main threat
to Afghanistan. Pakistan's intelligence service is the biggest danger to the
Afghan government. It is also a tremendous threat to the lives of American
troops," Senator Mark Kirk said in his speech early this week after his
third two-week Afghan assignment as Naval Reserve Intelligence Commander.
"Let me be clear: many Americans died
in Afghanistan because of Pakistan's ISI. Afghans are most victimised by their
neighbours, the Pakistanis," he said.
"I first served as a reservist in Afghanistan
in 2008. I believed that Pakistan was complicated, that we have many interests
there and that we must advance diplomatically. I no longer agree with that,"
he said.
Identifying the Haqqani network as the new
face of terror, Kirk said that the Haqqanis are backed and protected by Pakistan's
own intelligence service.
Statements by Pakistani government officials
to the contrary are direct lies, the Senator claimed.
"The Haqqani network kills Americans,
attacks the elected government of Afghanistan and remains protected in its
Pakistani headquarters of Miriam Shah," Kirk said.
Without that Pakistani safe haven, it would
suffer the same fate as al-Qaeda, he said.
Afghan and US Special Operations teams take
out many Taliban commanders and operators each night but numerous key Haqqani
leaders spend all day planning attacks on Americans in Afghanistan - then
sleep soundly in their beds in Pakistan, the Senator said.
"In such an environment and with our deficits and debt, aid to Pakistan
seems naive at best and counter-productive at worst. I am seriously reconsidering
and rethinking how well aid to Pakistan served us," Kirk said.
