The United States gave heads-up to India, besides Afghanistan and Pakistan, on the leak of classified documents pertaining to the war against terrorism. The documents released by Wikileaks website, further strengthens what top Indian officials have been saying for quite some time now that ISI has links with al-Qaeda, Taliban and other extremist organizations. US State Department spokesman P J Crowley told reporters at his daily news briefing in Washington that both the White House and the State Department acknowledged that they are concerned about the links between ISI and the extremist elements. He said, from the standpoint of India, it clearly wants to see that Pakistan is taking steps to bring to justice those people that threaten neighbouring states. In reply to a question, Crowley said, if Pakistan wants to convince India that it has made this kind of fundamental change, bringing to justice those who are responsible for the Mumbai attack would be a very constructive and important step. The spokesman said the US continues to have conversations with Pakistan on bringing to justice those responsible for the Mumbai attack.According to leaked intelligence documents, ISI representatives meet directly with the Taliban to support militant groups that fight against American soldiers in Afghanistan and scheme to assassinate Afghan leaders. Some of the reports among the leaked documents said, American intelligence learned that the Haqqani Network sent bombers at the ISI's behest to strike Indian officials, development workers and engineers in Afghanistan. ISI created a separate wing to run operations against India and Afghanistan. According to the documents, a week before the July 2008 bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul, Polish intelligence had tipped-off of a possible Taliban strike on the Indian mission. New Delhi has expressed concern over the possibility of the recent US military aid to Pakistan being used against India. Defence Minister A.K. Antony informed that during his meeting with US National Security Advisor James Jones and Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen last week, he had conveyed India's concerns in this regard and pointed out that the support was disproportionate to Pakistan's requirement to fight against the Taliban.
News On AIR | July 27, 2010 9:38 AM
Pakistan's ISI continues to support Taliban in Afghanistan, says leaked US documents