US Military Chief Accuses Pakistani Spies of Kabul Attack
September 22, 2011 TheFreshOutlook  |
US military chief blames Pakistani spy agency for plotting last week’s attack on American embassy and Nato headquarters in Kabul.
Admiral Mike Mullen, the most senior officer in the US military, has accused Pakistan’s spy agency of supporting the Taliban-linked Haqqani group in carrying out its attack against US, Nato and police installations in Kabul last week.
“The Haqqani network acts as a veritable arm of Pakistan’s Inter Service Intelligence Agency,” said Adm Mullen while facing questions from a Senate Panel in Washington.
Twenty five people were killed in the attack last week, including 11 civilians. Four members of the Afghan Police, along with 11 insurgents were also killed in the attack.
“With ISI support, Haqqani operatives planned and conducted a truck bomb attack, as well as the assault on our embassy,” said Adm Mullen.
His comments were described by the Pakastani government as “irresponsible”.
Relations between the US and Pakistan have been strained in recent years by American Military operations against Taliban targets in the North-West of the country. In May, US Navy Seals assassinated Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden in a special operation in North-East Pakistan. Revelations that Bin Laden’s hideout was in close proximity to a Pakastani military installation have led some to claim that Pakistan had been sheltering Bin Laden, an allegation which Islamabad denies.
By Dermot Tobin
[Image courtesy of An Honourable German]
