BBC: Secret report reveals Pakistan-Taliban ties

Pakistan’s security services are directly assisting the Taliban in Afghanistan and know where senior militant leaders are hiding, the BBC reported on Tuesday.

The British news service cited a leaked secret NATO report compiled from thousands of interrogations.

According to the report, the Taliban remain defiant in the midst of allied bombardment and also still maintain wide support among Afghans.


Taliban talks: Another Karzai tiff with the US?

The BBC story comes after a series of reports that the United States, NATO and the Afghan government plan talks with the Taliban in an effort to end the 10-year war in Afghanistan. It also comes amid tensions between the United States and Pakistan.

Qais Usyan / AFP - Getty Images

More than ten years after the beginning of the war, Afghanistan faces external pressure to reform as well as ongoing internal conflicts.

Defense Secretary Panetta told CBS’ "60 Minutes" on Sunday that he remains convinced that someone in the Pakistani government must have had an idea that a person of interest was in the compound where Osama bin Laden was killed. In the interview, Panetta acknowledged a Pakistani doctor, Shakil Afridi, provided information to the United States that helped identify the al-Qaida leader. After the raid, Pakistan arrested Afridi and has accused him of treason.  

And last November, Pakistan shut down NATO supply routes into Afghanistan after a NATO raid killed 28 Pakistani troops at a remote outpost. The Pakistani government also ordered a U.S. drone base closed.

According to the BBC's correspondent in Kabul, Quentin Sommerville, the leaked report for the first time exposes ties between the Pakistani intelligence service, known as ISI, and the Taliban.

Though alleged in the past, Pakistan has denied any direct links with the Taliban.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen alluded to ISI ties to militants fighting in Afghanistan during testimony in September 2011, according to NBC.

Pakistan has closed crucial roads used to ferry supplies to U.S and NATO troops in Afghanistan-- leaving Pakistani drivers stranded and driving up the U.S. price tag for the war. NBC's Amna Nawaz reports from Peshawar.

He called the Haqqani Network, a close ally of the Taliban, the "veritable arm” of the ISI, and said that the ISI is using other “proxies” to attack in Afghanistan.

NATO spokesman Lt. Col. Jimmie Cummings told the BBC that the report was a “classified internal document not meant to be released to the public.”

According to the BBC, the report, based on 27,000 interrogations with captured Taliban, al-Qaida and other fighters, states: "As this document is derived directly from insurgents it should be considered informational and not necessarily analytical."

 

The Afghan government says President Hamid Karzai will hold talks with the Taliban in the hopes of starting a peace process. NBC's Atia Abawi reports from Kabul, Afghanistan.

 

Msnbc.com staff and NBC News' Courtney Kube contributed to this report. 

More from msnbc.com and NBC News:

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After spending all the money, resource, and time, it taking this long to figure out strong ties among Pakistan, Taliban, and China.

  • 2 votes
Reply#106 - Fri Feb 3, 2012 12:36 PM EST

Only a damn fool would believe or trust any Muslim. The only good muslim is a dead muslim. Only idiots do not know Pakistan is the core of devils crew and only Americans are stupid enough to give them money to kill us with. None of these evil demons should be allowed into the US, much less given money and weapons to kill Americans. They are not worth pissing on. Only stupid people that elect stupid politicans can not see what muslims do, the devils work.

    Reply#107 - Fri Feb 3, 2012 3:48 PM EST

    Religion poisons everything. All religions, poison everything.

      #107.1 - Sat Feb 4, 2012 7:32 AM EST
      Reply

      There are those on the Pakistan side that assist and thus encourage the Taliban to trust them, thereby on the one hand doing harm to the US, and then on the other hand revealing their locations to the US for direct retaliation. Not an unusual double, if not triple, game in the intelligence business, where everyone loses except the dirty dealer.

        Reply#108 - Sat Feb 4, 2012 2:57 PM EST

        yes,still ally.

          Reply#109 - Sun Feb 5, 2012 5:08 AM EST

          There is documentary evidence which made the credibility of the news,

          baseless allegation has been leveled,not acceptable.

            Reply#110 - Sun Feb 5, 2012 5:10 AM EST

            Statements of the persons in custody are not acceptable.

            insurgent has been in jail since long,their statement is made base of allegation

            so it has no firm foundation.

              Reply#111 - Sun Feb 5, 2012 5:17 AM EST

              Jesus described what the conditions would be like before his second coming, He said in Matthew 24:22 If that time of troubles was not cut short,no living thing could survive.but for the sake of God's elect it will be cut short...............................with nukes ,biological weapons etc.its ovious to see waht Jesus was talking about.there is hundreds of end times prophecy's just a perfect as this prediction,the bible paints reality as it is now,and he did this 2000 years ago.he also spoke of 2 witnesses in revelation the whole world would be watching,aka tv,internet etc,we are living in the last days folks,Pakistan a sponsor of Osama bin laden who attacked are country has nukes.this planet has only 1 future and its war and rumors of wars,pestilence,pleagues etc just as Jesus fortold,I mean how would we know this was all going on without the information age ? Get right with Jesus folks repent of your sins and believe the gospel message,Jesus really did die for our sins and offers you all enterance to Heaven,we are saved by the Grace of God through Faith in Jesus.

                Reply#112 - Mon Feb 6, 2012 10:28 AM EST

                Let's just go ahead and file this under "No Sh@#, Sherlock"

                • 1 vote
                Reply#113 - Mon Feb 6, 2012 1:47 PM EST

                Like... duh...

                  Reply#114 - Tue Feb 7, 2012 6:38 AM EST

                  i have two things to say - 1st quit giving them money and cut all ties and 2nd is let them run their country and warn them no funny business as we will be watching and will kick your butt in no uncertain terms.

                    Reply#115 - Tue Feb 7, 2012 10:08 AM EST

                    And this is news? Pakistan was the only country in the world that ever recognized the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan. They supported the Taliban, armed it (through us), and was instrumental in their gaining power originally.

                    The only reason they ever backed off was because we, first, bribed them, and second, threatened them. So they took our money, kept their heads down -- but they never really stopped supporting them ideologically and their supporters within the Pakistani government and especially their military never went away.

                    You know who's going to go away?

                    We are. Some day, we're going to leave. And the Taliban and their Pakistani supporters will still be there and they will, in one way or another, regain substantial power in Afghanistan.

                    And there are no number of guns, bombs, missiles or American lives we're going to pour into that freaking hellhole that's going to change that.

                      Reply#116 - Tue Feb 7, 2012 11:44 AM EST
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