U.S. Pushing To Expand CIA Operations In Pakistan

Wall Street Journal:

WASHINGTON--The U.S. is pushing to expand a secret CIA effort to help Pakistan target militants in their havens near the Afghan border, according to senior officials, as the White House seeks new ways to prod Islamabad into more aggressive action against groups allied with al Qaeda,

The push comes as relations between Washington and Islamabad have soured over U.S. impatience with the slow pace of Pakistani strikes against militants who routinely attack U.S.-led troops in Afghanistan. President Barack Obama has said he will begin to withdraw troops from Afghanistan in July, increasing the urgency to show progress in the nine-year war against the Taliban.

The U.S. asked Pakistan in recent weeks to allow additional Central Intelligence Agency officers and special operations military trainers to enter the country as part of Washington's efforts to intensify pressure on militants.

Read the whole story: Wall Street Journal

Comments

[Sanjeev Bery]

09:03 AM on 10/29/2010

Hey folks - help us urge the Wall Street Journal to stop ignoring drone missile critics.

You can click here to take action: http://bit.ly/dronedebate

The US has dramatically escalated drone missile attacks in Pakistan. Unfortunately, the Wall Street Journal and others are only quoting US government officials in their reporting. (Sound familiar?)

Urge the Wall Street Journal to tell both sides of the debate: http://bit.ly/dronedebate

[sarah amy]

02:54 PM on 10/25/2010

We need to stop letting the CIA stir up the hornet's nest in Pakistan. That's a great way to truly destabilize the entire region, if that's what we want.

[1776 or 1984]

09:57 PM on 10/24/2010

Isn't it strange that the only person held to account in the war-on-terror was Saddam Hussein--and he wasn't even involved.

[BestGuest]

08:26 AM on 10/25/2010

A very telling, and powerful statement which says more than it may seem to a casual reader.... Thanks.

F&F

[Macready]

10:02 AM on 10/25/2010

fanned 1887 or 1984 . . . great blog . . . and the killer drones are at it again . . . the strategy isn't working so when will america learn . .. . probably when it is too late . . .

[1776 or 1984]

09:30 PM on 10/24/2010

The war-on-terr0r is a charade of the Empire.

Operation Able-Danger, the Pentag0n's Special Forces team assigned to disrupt A-Q pre-9 1 1, identified the lead hi/acker (Atta) and other cells in the US well before 9 1 1.

After A-Q cells in the US were discovered, the Pentagon ordered the information destr0yed in April 2000. Read the new book from Bronze Star winner and black ops commander Lt Colonel Anthony Shaffer in "Operation Dark Heart," which was just released. He was fired from the DoD for telling this to the 9 1 1 Commission, who covered it up.

That is only the tip of the iceberg. The C I A and F B I have done similar actions -- like the C I A letting 2 hi/ackers into the US a week after they left an A-Q summit in Malaysia in January 2000. Even the National Security Advisor was monitoring the summit.

The F B I thwarted lower level agents' requests to investigate flight schools that were reporting very suspicious activities -- despite having the 9 1 1 plot since 1995 on Ramzi Yousef's laptop (the 1993 W T C b0mber and nephew of the "9 1 1 mastermind" K S M). Read 5-time Emmy Award winning investigative journalist Peter Lance's encyclopedic account in "Triple Cross."

After the Cold-War ended, a charade was needed to justify the Empire's military and aggressive foreign policy.

====================
Be a rebel, not a subject

[moonlightesq]

07:18 PM on 10/24/2010

If they want our money, they must have our CIA agents as well. That is fair.

[BestGuest]

08:27 AM on 10/25/2010

They're far better off without either in that case....

[William50]

01:20 PM on 10/24/2010

It matters not, if we give billions more or leave tomorrow from Pakistan, Afghanistan or Iran. The future will be determined not by the USA, but by those who have the drive to change the future of their country. We can spend billions, put in killer hunter groups, buy Warlords and criminal groups but in the end the USA will leave.
Let me give you a real future, one that each Administration refuse to accept. The people in a country have to be willing to decide who rules with blood from the people. Not the terror attacks but the common man and woman saying they are for this side or the other, civil war, and the bloody outcome will determine who rules. Then the USA can, yes can, work with that government, not before.
Terrorism is another word for violent revolution. It is terror until the people are willing to put an end to it. When the majority is willing to destroy, yes destroy those who are killing them that it ends. This will happen, no matter if we stay a decade or a century. It may not happen (very small chance) if in a free election all factions are allowed access to government. But if this truly free election happens the USA has to abide with the outcome.

[Chubbster]

12:25 PM on 10/24/2010

"Friends, it's very simple: if you support Barack Obama and the Democrats -- even if reluctantly, even if you're just being all sophisticatedly super-savvy and blogospherically strategic about it, playing the "long game" or eleven-dimensional chess or what have you -- you are supporting the outright murder of innocent people who have never done anything against you or yours. You have walked into a house, battered down the bedroom door, put the barrel of a gun against the temple of a sleeping child, and pulled the trigger. That is what you are supporting, that is what you are complicit in, that is what you yourself are doing."

[mendelcrosses]

10:58 AM on 10/24/2010

How is this even logical.
They are taking away child care support to parent in the US. They the very tax payers whose money it is that covers the child care support and at the same time they are demanding money in millitary aid to parkistan.

To call this a misplaced priority is an understatement but seriously the Obama admin doing this instead of some neocon admin is just the sign that,there is no hope for America.

[Macready]

10:03 AM on 10/25/2010

great blog mendelcrosses . . time to get out of America while you can

[James Croteau]

10:31 AM on 10/24/2010

Read as far as "help Pakistan target militants" then figured the report was written by the State Dept.

[Chubbster]

12:28 PM on 10/24/2010

Torture continues.

[bluntobject]

10:19 AM on 10/24/2010

Is it just me or did the dude with the beard in the picture above fall face first into some of Lucile Ball's Henna Rinse?

WTF is up with that nasty red crumb catcher man...lol

[handyallen1]

10:06 AM on 10/24/2010

should we be borrowing money to give to Pakistan .... really?

[Chubbster]

12:29 PM on 10/24/2010

Well, they need money to give to the Taliban and expand their nuclear weapons program.

[edwcorey]

09:49 AM on 10/24/2010

Didn't Obama cite the definition of insanity over and over again during his campaign? And here he is, again, pushing the same insane policy: more CIA, more money for arms to dysfunctional countries. Our infrastructure, safety nets, and pocketbooks are in tatters, but there's always enough money for foreign intrigue, for arms purchases, and for the CIA, major source of our current problems. The CIA's interference in Asia--Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, among others--has endangered our lives and treasure, with its atrocities, undermining of democracies, and coddling of dictators.

[Chubbster]

12:30 PM on 10/24/2010

He's only in it for the power.

[javajava]

01:06 AM on 10/24/2010

I get that Obama thinks he is stuck. And that there are no good options in Afghanistan, Pakistan and that all we have left is continue throwing money at the problem. I mean traditionally that is the American way but, lets just stop.

[Oiiohh]

12:53 AM on 10/24/2010

.

.What's the secret?

[guveqzero]

12:47 AM on 10/24/2010

Just listen to Nancy, and just say no.