• Jimmy Savile abuse scandal stuns Britain: a who's who primer

    R. Poplowski / Fox Photos via Getty Images

    Jimmy Savile, seen here in 1973, was later knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to charity and entertainment and received a papal knighthood from Pope John Paul II.

    By Peter Jeary, NBC News

    For decades, Jimmy Savile was one of the biggest personalities on Britain’s airwaves. 

    With his trademark fat cigar and garish tracksuits, he was the larger-than-life character who combined popular appeal, eccentricity and a reputation for charity work.

    For 40 years, he dominated the British Broadcasting Corporation’s programming both on radio and TV.  He was the original host of BBC TV’s iconic music show “Top of the Pops,” which aired from 1964 until 2006, and his family-oriented primetime show “Jim'll Fix It” was a regular ratings-topper for the network.

    Savile also championed a host of good causes and was often pictured on sponsored runs. His efforts raised millions and helped establish a national spinal injuries center at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, one of the largest specialist spinal units in the world.  He worked as a volunteer porter at a number of hospitals, including Leeds General Infirmary in his home city, and the high-security psychiatric facility at Broadmoor Hospital, southwest of London. 

    'A steep fall' for BBC as child sex abuse scandal rocks the UK

    He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1990 for services to charity and entertainment, and in the same year received a papal knighthood from Pope John Paul II.

    But soon after his death in October 2011, just two days before his 85th birthday, allegations emerged that Savile had used his notoriety and good works to fuel his life as a pedophile.

    He was accused of using his fame to coerce teens into having sex with him in his car, his camper and even his BBC dressing rooms.

    More coverage of the Jimmy Savile scandal from NBC News' British partner ITV News 

    It was also alleged he chose to work for charities caring for troubled youths to enable him to prey on those already in a vulnerable position -- and whose credibility would be questioned if they ever accused him of sexual abuse.

    In some of the most disturbing accusations, Savile was described abusing young people in their hospital beds. 

    For 20 years, Jimmy Savile's children's show was a highlight of Saturday night family TV on the BBC. But now, British police say 300 people have come forward with claims that Savile abused them during his 60-year broadcasting career. NBC's Annabel Roberts reports.

    As the revelations unfolded, it emerged that rumors and allegations of Savile’s predatory lifestyle had first surfaced years before.  

    Police said an allegation was made in 2003 dating back to the 1970s of his "inappropriate touching" but the information had been treated as "intelligence" rather than the basis for a prosecution, because the accuser did not want to take legal action.

    A number of investigations are now taking place into how Savile could, in the words of police, "have hidden in plain sight" for so long.

    Carole Wells

    In 1973, Carole Wells was a 14-year-old student of Duncroft Approved School for Girls (a special facility for young people, much like a reform school) on the outskirts of London.

    In an interview with the Guardian newspaper, she said Savile would regularly visit Duncroft, offering girls candy, clothes, tickets to BBC shows and to take them for a ride in his car.

    Wells described to the newspaper how on one such excursion, Savile sexually abused her, fondling her and saying 'I can tell you are a virgin.’

    When she reported the incident to school authorities, she said she was told: "Don't be stupid. Don't say things like that."

    Wells is one of the few victims to waive anonymity, and she was involved in the original "Newsnight" investigation. 

    BBC

    The broadcaster found itself at the heart of the Savile scandal on two specific charges. Firstly, that it was not sufficiently rigorous in investigating rumors of his abuse when they first circulated around the corporation decades ago. Secondly, that a news item into allegations of Savile’s behavior, which was being prepared by its "Newsnight" TV program in November 2011, had been axed without good cause -- possibly because it compromised a tribute to Savile the network had planned for its Christmas schedule.

    The BBC announced two independent inquiries in the immediate wake of the allegations. One, the Pollard Review, would look into the circumstances surrounding the "Newsnight" item. The other, chaired by a former judge Dame Janet Smith, would review "the culture and practices of the BBC during the years that Jimmy Savile worked at the BBC."

    The BBC is overseen by the BBC Trust but operational management is governed by a separate body, the Executive Board, led by the Director-General.

    Lefteris Pitarakis / AP

    George Entwistle, the BBC's director-general, speaks to reporters on Oct. 23.

    George Entwistle

    The current BBC director-general, Entwistle appeared before a committee of parliamentarians on October 23, where he was quizzed over what he knew – and when – about the decision to pull the "Newsnight" segment.

    His performance was roundly condemned by the British press and committee members commented on his "extraordinary lack of curiosity." 

    At the hearing, Entwistle revealed further allegations of harassment at the BBC had been made.  In a statement, the BBC said that nine former and current BBC staff and contributors, including Jimmy Savile, had been named by alleged victims.

    Peter Rippon

    On October 22 it was announced Rippon, the editor of BBC "Newsnight," had "stepped aside" from his duties after errors were identified in his account of why the Savile item had been shelved. In his blog Rippon had written, “We had no evidence that anyone from the Duncroft home could or should have known about the allegations. We had no evidence against the BBC.”

    In a correction published October 22 the BBC said neither assertion was correct.

    Gonzalo Fuentes

    Mark Thompson was director-general of the BBC from 2004 until September.

    Mark Thompson

    The former BBC director-general and incoming CEO of The New York Times received robust support from the newspaper’s chairman and publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr., who said he was satisfied that Thompson had no role in the decision to scrap the BBC "Newsnight" item.

    Thompson, who was director-general from 2004 until September, told Britain's Times newspaper he had “formed the impression” in December 2011 that "Newsnight" was investigating allegations of sex abuse against Savile.

    According to The New York Times, Thompson said he didn't know about the investigative segment until after it was canceled and had no role in canceling it.

    Operation Yewtree

    By October 25, 2012, Scotland Yard’s criminal inquiry into the Savile scandal had heard from 300 alleged victims. Detectives had interviewed 130 people; all but two of those claiming to have been abused had been female.

    The officer in charge, Cmdr. Peter Spindler, acknowledged his team of detectives had been stunned by the volume of abuse allegations.

    Spindler said the allegations they had received divided into three categories: “There's Savile on his own...there's Savile and others. Then there is a third category which is 'others,'" Spindler said.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

  • BBC ripped for handling of sex abuse scandal tied to former host

    Peter Macdiarmid / Getty Images

    BBC Director General George Entwistle leaves Parliament on Tuesday after giving evidence to a select committee where he denied charges of a cover-up.

    By Peter Jeary, NBC News

    The predatory pedophilia of a former British radio and TV celebrity has shaken the BBC to its foundations, as the broadcaster struggles to reconcile itself to charges of mismanagement and allowing an "unacceptable culture" of sexual abuse to go unchecked for decades.

    Jimmy Savile, who died in October 2011 two days before his 85th birthday, rose to fame in the 1960s as a dance-hall promoter and later BBC radio disc-jockey. In the 1970s, 80s and 90s, he was a regular fixture of the BBC TV schedules, where his popular, family-oriented shows attracted top ratings. He was honored by the queen, networked with politicians and celebrities and was feted for his charity fundraising and good works.

    But in the months since Savile's death, a catalog of accusations has emerged, stretching from 1959 to 2006, in what London's Metropolitan Police described as "abuse on an unprecedented scale."

    It has also come out that Savile's sexual exploitation of children may have been known to some people at the time, including former colleagues and managers at the BBC, who failed to report or act upon the rumors and accusations. What's more, it has been revealed that in late 2011, the BBC axed an investigative news item into Savile's pedophilia at the same time that it was planning a Christmas tribute program to him.

    UK in turmoil after multiple claims kids' entertainer molested children for years

    The head of the BBC denied on Tuesday helping to cover up the allegations but accepted that it had been damaged by the crisis.

    In a BBC TV documentary broadcast Monday night, Panorama investigated the original news item, which was to have aired on BBC TV's Newsnight program until it was shelved by the Newsnight editor.

    By accessing the original Newsnight video and interviews, Panorama drew a portrait of Savile as a shrewd, calculating and devious predator who preyed on vulnerable young people. Among the accusers were some victims who said Savile had sexually abused them in his BBC dressing room after he recorded his TV shows.


    Panorama also looked into the circumstances that led to the Newsnight item being dropped.

    Suggestions that it was dropped as part of a BBC cover-up were refuted in a blog by the program's editor, Peter Rippon, who wrote, "I was told in the strongest terms that I must be guided by editorial considerations only and that I must not let any wider considerations about the BBC affect my judgement."

    However, on Monday Rippon "stepped aside" from his post as the BBC issued a correction to his blog, in which it became clear that Rippon had made factual errors about what the BBC had known. In particular, the correction clarified that there were "some allegations of abusive conduct on BBC premises."

    'Broader cultural problem'
    BBC director-general George Entwistle was quizzed on Tuesday about all of this by a parliamentary select committee into the BBC's handling of the affair.

    Although he denied the BBC was facing "its worst crisis in 50 years", Entwistle said Savile's alleged behavior had been possible only because of a "broader cultural problem" at the BBC.

    When pressed by parliamentarians for detail, Entwistle told them, "We are looking at between five and 10 serious allegations relating to activities over the whole period in question, the Savile period." He added the allegations included claims of sexual harassment made against people still working at the BBC, but could not say how many.

    The director-general's grilling created an impression of BBC management out of touch with the broadcaster's day-to-day running.

    Instead of evidence of management interference in editorial matters, committee members described themselves as "astonished" at the "lack of curiosity" exhibited by senior management into rumors and "water-cooler" revelations.

    The BBC has announced two independent reviews into the Savile affair: one looking at how the abuse he is accused of could have been allowed to happen, and the other looking into the circumstances of the shelved Newsnight item.

    Meanwhile, the police enquiry into Savile's activities has developed into a criminal investigation which has yet to establish the full extent of his crimes. Police are following more than 400 lines of enquiry involving more than 200 potential victims.

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  • Royal censorship? BBC says 'sorry' for daring to report UK queen's comments

    Geoff Pugh / AFP - Getty Images, file

    Queen Elizabeth II meets BBC journalist Frank Gardner at an event in October 2011. The BBC apologized on Tuesday after Gardner reported a conversation with the queen.

    By Keir Simmons, NBC News

    Analysis

    LONDON - Imagine this: President Barack Obama makes an indiscreet remark to a reporter.  The White House complains after the journalist reports the newsworthy encounter. The reporter and his network apologize.

    Hard to visualize, isn’t it?

    But something very similar did happen with the U.K.'s head of state this week.  

    Highly respected BBC journalist Frank Gardner reported a controversial conversation with Queen Elizabeth II about radical Islamist cleric Abu Hamza al-Mazri, who on Monday lost his appeal against extradition to the United States to face terrorism charges. 

    Cleric al-Masri loses bid to avoid extradition to US on terror charges

    Buckingham Palace was reportedly outraged. Gardner and the BBC -- seen by many as a standard-bearer for quality journalism around the world -- issued a groveling apology. 

    Peter Morrison / AP

    Britain's Queen Elizabeth II arrives in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, on June 26.

    So does the British media have different rules for covering the royals?

    Three-quarters-of-a-century ago newspapers in this country remained silent as U.S. journalists excitedly reported on a relationship between the future King Edward VIII and American divorcee Wallis Simpson.  The relationship eventually led to Edward abdicating the throne.

    And in the last month, most British news outlets refused to publish those naked Prince Harry pictures, while the U.K. media said "non" in unison to the French paparazzi snaps of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge - the former Kate Middleton - topless.

    Criminal case continues over topless Kate photos

    The intimate pictures were viewed by many British editors as an invasion of privacy.  

    But while stories about royal love affairs, and pictures of cavorting young royals are arguably an invasion of privacy, this latest spat between Buckingham Palace and the media is of another order entirely.  That is because while the queen signs off on Britain's laws, guides the prime minister and entertains visiting leaders from around the world, by tradition and according to convention she cannot and must not be seen to take sides.

    Queen Elizabeth II is celebrating 60 years on the throne. Watch archival footage from her childhood and ascension to the throne to the present day.

    In fact, a constitutional crisis could ensue if she is seen to be meddling. 

    That said, the queen is involved in affairs of state. 

    'Vivid combination'
    The prime minister meets with the monarch every week.  She has held these sessions since Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s days.  Yet what is said is never shared.  If the queen does give advice no one is ever told what it is.

    Former Prime Minister Tony Blair went further than most when in his diary he described the visits to the palace as, “A vivid combination of the intriguing, the surreal, and the utterly freaky.” 

    More coverage of Britain's royal family on TODAY.com

    But even he did not recount a word of what was actually said.

    Many speculate on what the queen's political views might be, but very few people know for sure what they are.

    So given the long-standing conventions governing interactions with the monarch, any opinion the queen did share with Gardner would have been off-the-record and not for reporting.  Otherwise she would not have expressed a view. 

    And journalists, of course, have a duty not to reveal their sources where confidentiality has been promised.

    In that sense Gardner broke a simple rule of journalism. If you're told something off the record, you can't source it without permission.

    If the queen did share vigorous views on al-Masri's deportation to the United States -- she was apparently so upset about the U.K.'s inability to arrest him that she spoke to top government officials about it -- then it was meant for Gardner's ears only.

    Four terrorists wanted on charges in the US have lost their case at the European Court of Human Rights and will be extradicted to the US after years of legal battles. ITV's Lucy Manning reports

    But not everybody sees it that way.

    “We have to ask: if the BBC had revealed another source, under any circumstances at all, would the apology have been so rapid? Or is it, again, different for the royals?” columnist Archie Bland pondered in the left-leaning Independent newspaper.

    So is it different for the royals, or at least the queen, in one important sense. Being unelected she is not supposed to have an opinion. That's the deal. She gets to be queen because she rises above politics.

    She might be a highly experienced “sponge,” as described by royal biographer Hugo Vickers, who brings the wisdom built from decades on the throne, but according to British tradition she is definitively not a politician or an opinion-leader.

    Queen leads giant Diamond Jubilee flotilla on London's rainy Thames


    Many argue that the reason she makes such a good head of state is precisely because she’s never heard mouthing off about one issue or another.  If she were, if she ventured into the world of the political, it would shake the balance of power in Britain.

    Which explains why Buckingham Palace was so upset, and why the story is causing such a stir. It is also why Britain's future king, Prince Charles, ruffles feathers when he expresses views about the environment or architecture.

    In pictures: Britain honors Queen Elizabeth II with Diamond Jubilee

    Probably many British people will be pleased to hear that the queen is prepared to express strong opinions when necessary, albeit in private.

    But the queen will not want it to happen again. She knows how much damage it can do to her, her family and her country.

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  • Italian university to switch to English-only classes

    By Sevil Omer, NBC News

    One of Italy’s leading universities will switch to teaching in the English language, saying the institution was left with “no other choice” in order to compete worldwide.


    Politecnico di Milano announced it will offer most of its degree courses only in English as of 2014, the BBC reported. The decision has sparked protest among some professors, with one likening the move to a "dictatorship," according to the University World News.

    Politecnico di Milano, known for its architecture, engineering and science programs, has about 36,000 students.

    "Universities are in a more competitive world, if you want to stay with the other global universities -- you have no other choice," the BBC quoted the university's rector, Giovanni Azzone, as saying. "We strongly believe our classes should be international classes -- and the only way to have international classes is to use the English language."

    Nic Mitchell, a public relations consultant focused on higher education, told the BBC that more than 4,500 university courses are being taught in English in continental Europe.

    At least 285 professors signed a petition this week protesting the Politecnico di Milano decision, arguing the imposition of English as unconstitutional.

    “The point is that English is being imposed on students as a kind of linguistic dictatorship ... and what we might call ‘low-definition’ English (the English of conferences and so on) is also being confused with the ‘high-definition’ language of teaching," Politecnico Professor Emilio Matricciani said, according to the University World News.

    He added: "Speaking Italian to our countrymen is like watching a movie in color, high definition, very clear pictures. On the contrary, speaking English to them, even with our best effort, is, on the average, like watching a movie in black and white, with very poor definition, with blurred pictures."

    Word spread fast on social network sites, with people commenting in English and in Italian.

    “Beginning of the end for Italian. The Politecnico di Milano will teach only in English. Non scholae sed vitae discimus,” Dan McDougall posted on his Twitter account.

    Alex Morrison wrote: “Politecnico di Milano to teach all classes in English - what a great place to study - sign me up for a PhD now!”

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  • Move over, Al Roker! Prince Charles becomes TV weatherman

    Britain's Prince Charles takes a royal run at being a TV weatherman, delivering a surprise forecast of rain to BBC Scotland viewers.

    By NBC News and msnbc.com staff

    Updated at 1:03 p.m. ET: LONDON -- Prince Charles, the heir to Britain's throne, made a surprise appearance as a television weatherman Thursday.

    He gave viewers of BBC Scotland the news that it would be "cold, wet and windy" across most of the country.

    The prince -- who is Queen Elizabeth's first-born son -- was on a visit marking 60 years of BBC Scotland Television.

    Robin McCallum, a weather presenter for ITV London, told NBC News that the prince looked "very relaxed."

     

    A local British weatherman from ITV London critiques Prince Charles' technique as a meteorologist. Take a look at what Robin McCallum of ITV London thinks of his "rival."


    "He's doing a very good job of explaining the weather," McCallum added. "He's very easy on-screen."

    More coverage of Britain's royal family

    However, McCallum said Charles wasn't quite perfect -- describing him as "a little bit trigger happy."

    "I have to point out a slight criticism -- he's pressed his plunger -- which is the thing that scrolls from one graphic to the next -- and we should really still have been on the graphic at the end of the weather report. Other than that, it's an immaculate job."

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  • Has the BBC banned 'The Dictator' from its shows?

    By Courtney Garcia, msnbc.com contributor

    Sasha Baron Cohen’s alter-ego in “The Dictator” was alive and scandalous in Australia on Wednesday, entertaining a talk show team with his provocative, yet debatable intelligence. According to one report, however, he may not be welcomed elsewhere.


    Head-to-toe in commander regalia, Aladeen, the film’s faux world leader, was accompanied by a tanned, long-legged female entourage when he appeared on Australia’s “Wake up with TODAY!,” earning laughs for his remarks on the state of affairs down under.

    "To get them more popular, your prime minister should have a sex change and become a woman,” said the comic as his Qaddafi-like character when asked what advice he had for world leaders. “Also, your prime minister should always have someone around he can trust. I have 25 virgin girls that follow me around and protect me at all times."

    The current prime minister of Australia, Julia Gillard, is a woman.

    Referencing some of the Aussie nation’s alleged scandals, Cohen commented, “The first rule of a politician: only sexually harass the female staff. The boys will always talk, females cry."

    His other words of wisdom, “When you pay for hookers, don’t use the government credit card. Always cash, cash, cash! I know it’s tempting to put it on the credit card for the air miles."

    It may not come as too big a shock then that some folks at the BBC have decided they will pass on a similar interview with the international parody. Reports UK’s The Daily Mail, Cohen claims the world media outlet has banned Aladeen from several of its TV and radio programs, including "The Graham Norton Show," "The One Show," "Newsnight," "The Andrew Marr Show," and shows on Radio 1 and Radio 4.

    In what the actor has deemed a “blackout” in an in-character interview he did with the UK's Sun, Cohen said the broadcaster was “victimizing little old me… While I am a huge admirer of state-sponsored censorship, the BBC banning me from their meager channels is an outrage."

    Sacha Baron Cohen plays an unrepentant brutal dictator who loves nothing more than to squash the hopes of those living under his brutal regime, while living a life of splendor. Opens May 16.

    Conflicting reports provide no definite answer on the matter, as a spokesperson for the BBC told The Daily there was no ban, only that “few of the television shows mentioned would be an appropriate platform for one of Cohen's controversial characters.”

    "Our chat shows thrive on the spontaneous banter between guests and the presenter, something you don't get when people come on as a character," the BBC statement said. "We'd love to have Sacha on as himself."

    On the other hand, a source close to Cohen said he had been initially approached by "The One Show" to appear as Aladeen, though it has since withdrawn interest.

    "The Dictator" opens in theaters on May 16, and tells the tale of Aladeen, rich ruler of the fictional country “Wadiya” in northeast Africa, who travels to New York in a monstrous cultural collision. These latest appearances continue Cohen’s ongoing publicity campaign that began in February at the Academy Awards when he dumped “Kim Jong-II’s ashes” onto Ryan Seacrest during his red carpet arrival.

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  • Anonymous attacks: British Home Office website access disrupted after threat

    By msnbc.com staff

    Access to the British Home Office website's was disrupted Saturday after the hacking group Anonymous called on supporters to hit the site with denial-of-service attacks, the BBC reported.

    The BBC said the site became inaccessible at about 21:00 BST (4 p.m. EDT) Saturday; it said a low-graphics version was available at times later. By early Sunday BST, the site was back to normal.

    In a series of Twitter updates, Anonymous claimed that its attacks affected the websites of Britain's Ministry of Justice and Prime Minister David Cameron's office as well. A spokesman for the prime minister denied that, but the BBC reported that access to the site was slow for a while. ZDNet said all three British government sites were down at one time.

    Anonymous is an amorphous worldwide network of computer hackers who use denial-of-service attacks and other types of network disruption to call attention to a series of political causes. SecurityNewsDaily reported Tuesday that Anonymous' United Kingdom faction had called for a DOS attack on the Home Office site to protest the extradition of three British citizens to the United States. The Home Office is responsible for domestic security in Britain.

    The hacking group announced April 1 on its AnonOpUK Twitter feed that it was launching "Operation Trial At Home."

    The three citizens are Gary McKinnon, Christopher Harold Tappin and Richard O'Dwyer, SecurityNewsDaily said:

    McKinnon, a Scottish systems administrator, was arrested in 2002 for allegedly hacking into U.S. military and NASA computers in 2001 and 2002 and deleting files and copying data. Tappin, a retired British businessman, is accused by the U.S. government of exporting materials to Iran that can be used to build surface-to-air missiles. The owner of TVShack.net, O'Dwyer has been charged with hosting copyrighted materials on his site; the U.S. Justice Department has been seeking his extradition since last May.

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  • Mood of 'despair' as Syria bombards city of Homs for 5th day

    For many in the besieged country, life has become a humanitarian disaster. NBC's Ayman Mohyeldin reports.

    By msnbc.com staff and news services

     Syrian government forces have deployed tanks in the streets and are bombing indiscriminately in the city of Homs, according to a BBC correspondent on the scene.

    The BBC’s Paul Wood, who is reporting from the outskirts of Homs with anti-government forces, described the mood as one of “despair” as the city comes under the heaviest bombardment so far in a five-day assault.

    Activists claim hundreds have been killed in the violence, from 40 to 100 on Wednesday alone, though their reports have not been independently verified.

    Wood is one of the few Western news reporters inside Syria, where the government tightly controls access to news. He said many people in the city are hiding in their homes, too afraid to leave.

    The aid group Doctors Without Borders quoted Syrians as saying that many wounded civilians are unable to get adequate medical treatment — in part because security forces have taken over many public hospitals, The Associated Press reported.

    The aid group released a video in Paris on Wednesday showing interviews with 10 wounded Syrians and 5 Syrian doctors who have fled the nation.

    Group: Militia 'slaughtered' 3 families in Syria's Homs

    With diplomacy stalled, the bloodletting in the Syrian city of Homs continues. Syrian forces continue its relentless attack on the city of Homs. Snipers are the new terror in the city, and hospitals are running short of supplies. ITN's Paul Davies reports.

    The unidentified witnesses said many wounded are afraid to go to hospitals for treatment, knowing that Syrian authorities could arrest them and subject them to interrogation or even torture. Instead, some get whatever treatment they can in private clinics or makeshift hospitals in homes.

    Doctors Without Borders, which is not authorized to work in Syria, said it could not independently confirm the Syrians' accounts.

    The onslaught on Homs has not relented despite a promise to end the bloodshed that Syrian President Bashar Assad gave to Russia.

    Testimonies from injured people and doctors from across Syria were collected by Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) staff between January 30 and February 6, 2012. MSF is not authorized to operate inside Syria at present and thus is unable to fully verify the information collected here.

    French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe dismissed Syrian pledges of peace as deceit, "and we're not going to fall for it." 

    US shutters embassy in Syria, withdraws all personnel

    A Western and Arab backed draft resolution calling for Assad to cede power to his deputy failed in the United Nations Security Council after Russia and China vetoed the move on Saturday.

    The United Nations' top human rights official called on Wednesday for urgent international action. Navi Pillay, High Commissioner for Human Rights, said he was "appalled by the Syrian government's wilful assault on the city of Homs, and its use of artillery and other heavy weaponry in what appear to be indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas in the city."

     

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  • BBC: Secret report reveals Pakistan-Taliban ties

    By NBC News and msnbc.com staff

    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.

    Slideshow: Afghanistan: Nation at a crossroads

    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.

    Launch slideshow

    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. 

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