The U.S. has asked Pakistan to target all militant groups, including the LeT, after the release of a State Department cable which suggested strong links between the spy agency ISI and the Haqqani network.
“We have been consistently clear with the highest levels of the government of Pakistan that it must target all militant groups, including the Haqqani Network, Al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e Taiba,” said State Department spokesman John Kirby.
“The government of Pakistan itself has repeatedly said it’s going after all terrorist groups regardless of their agenda or affiliation,” the spokesman said.
ISI paid for suicide attack Mr. Kirby was responding to a question on a series of U.S. cables released by the National Security Archive which suggest strong links between the Pakistan’s ISI and the Haqqani network.
According to one of the cables, the ISI paid a whopping $200,000 to the Haqqani network for a suicide attack on a CIA camp in Afghanistan in 2009 that killed seven American agents and contractors and three others.
CIA declines comment The CIA declined to comment on the cable.
But an intelligence official told PTI there was no way to prove the charge.
The U.S. has maintained that the attack on a CIA base in Afghanistan was the handiwork of Al-Qaeda and not the Haqqani network.
“During discussions at an unknown date between Haqqani Salar and an unidentified ISID officer or Officers, Haqqani and Salar were provided $200,000 to enable the attack on Chapman,” says the cable released by the National Security Archive of George Washington University which obtained it from the State Department under the Freedom of Information Act.
The State Department did not answer questions on the cable.
According to an intelligence official, the information in the cable obtained from a source on the ground could not be corroborated and there is no other cable matching this information.
Pakistan dismisses claims
Meanwhile, Pakistan on Friday dismissed the claims as “preposterous”.
Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria said that allegations in the media on Pakistan’s involvement with Haqqani network are “preposterous“.
“In fact, we were shocked and deeply saddened when precious American lives were lost at the Chapman facility in 2009 in an unfortunate attack that was later claimed by TTP in a publicly available video, featuring the suicide bomber with the leader of the TTP,” Mr. Zakaria said in a statement.
The spokesperson said that it would be further recalled that over the past years, Pakistan has through a series of military operations, severely damaged and weakened the TTP and other militant and terrorist organisations.
“We wish to remind that Pakistan is among the biggest victims of terrorism, having lost tens of thousands of innocent lives, including over five thousand valiant personnel of law enforcement agencies, and economic losses to the tune of a hundred billion dollars,” he said.
Pakistan is determined to eradicate the scourge of terrorism and has taken action against all terrorist elements, without discrimination, he added.
