The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, said Washington remained concerned about Pakistan’s intelligence service ISI amid disclosures by online whistle blower WikiLeaks that the spy agency continues to maintain links with Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.
Mr. Mullen said he was appalled at the leaks of 92,000 documents of the Defence department’s war in Afghanistan by the online whistle blower. According to the Pentagon, he told reporters on his way to Iraq that “any links which exists with terrorists organisations, whether it is Haqqani or LeT, was completely unacceptable”.
The U.S. commander said that leaked documents on the war did not call into question the U.S. strategy or relations with Pakistan.
He said information about Pakistan’s activities and other details were discussed during the major war strategy review last year.
“The information I have so far seen in the documents. There is nothing in there that was not reviewed or considered in the strategic review,” he said.
His comments came as voices grow louder against giving Pakistan a ‘blank cheque’ in the war on terror and media reports quoting Obama administration officials said now that the disclosures were in open “in some ways it makes it easier for us to tell Pakistan they have to help us”, the New York Times reported.
“The documents seem to lay out rich new details of connection between the Taliban and other militant groups and Pakistan’s main spy agency, the Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence or ISI,” the paper said.
