KABUL, Afghanistan The Afghanistan government escalated its criticism of Pakistan on Wednesday, publicly questioning for the first time how the Pakistanis could assure the security of their own nuclear weapons if they did not even know that Osama bin Laden, the worlds most wanted terrorist, had been hiding in a compound in a Pakistani military town less than an hour from their own capital.
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In comments at a weekly news conference, Gen. Zahir Azimi, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry, echoed points made earlier this week by others in Afghanistan, including President Hamid Karzai, but in starker terms. The general specifically pointed fingers at Pakistans intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence, which has claimed it was unaware that Bin Laden, the Qaeda leader considered responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, had been living for years in the military garrison town of Abbottabad, where American commandos killed him in a surprise raid early Monday.
If the Pakistani intelligence agency does not know about a home located 10 meters or 100 meters away from its national military academy, where for the last six years the biggest terrorist is living, how can this country take care of its strategic weapons? General Azimi said.
How could they be satisfied that their strategic weapons are not in danger? he asked.
He added that if Pakistans intelligence did in fact know the whereabouts of Bin Laden, then they are playing a double game.
The specific reference to Pakistans intelligence service was an escalation of rhetoric but reflected a refrain heard here since Bin Ladens death was announced: the Afghan government has said repeatedly that the root and branch of the insurgency here were in Pakistan and that the United States had been waging the war in the wrong country.
Mr. Karzai made such remarks somewhat obliquely in his speeches shortly after Bin Ladens death was announced, but his national security adviser, Rangin Spanta, was more explicit.
We have to change the geography of the war, said Mr. Spanta in an interview. For 10 years President Karzai has repeated we have to destroy the sanctuaries and the sanctuaries are in Pakistan.
Beyond the rhetoric, however, lies a far more complicated dynamic. Pakistan is resented for its military strength and in recent years for its power to ratchet up or down the insurgency in Afghanistan through its hosting of terrorist training camps and its financing for jihadist Islamic movements. But it has also been a refuge for millions of Afghans and has a shared culture, especially in the Pashtun tribal areas, which share a common culture and language with the inhabitants of southern and eastern Afghanistan. By contrast, the north and west of the country are inhabited by Dari speakers, whose ethnicity is closer to that of Persians and some Uzbeks and Turkmens.
Despite the animosity and denunciation, there are also deep ties. We can not live in permanent war with a neighbor, said Mr. Spanta, explaining that the tension did not negate the efforts to work with Pakistan to achieve peace with the Taliban.
Our offer to Pakistan for cooperation with Pakistan and building peace, remains the same, said Mr. Spanta, despite Bin Laden, showing up in Pakistans backyard.
General Azimis words were if anything more restrained than those of the former Afghan intelligence director, Amrullah Saleh, who has closely followed Pakistans patterns of support for the Taliban and long been an outspoken critic.
If they were able to protect Osama for 10 years, then Mullah Omar and Haqqani are in the ISI safe guest house, safe house, whatever you want to call it, said Mr. Saleh, shortly after news of Bin Ladens killing became public. Mullah Muhammad Omar is the spiritual leader of the Taliban, and the Haqqani Group is a Taliban offshoot believed to be largely funded by Pakistans intelligence service.
It is time for the United States to wake up to the fact that Pakistan is a hostile state exporting terror, he said.
Afghanistan Intensifies Anti-Pakistan Rhetoric in Aftermath of Bin Laden Raid - NYTimes.com
Multimedia
Video Feature
Reports on the Death of Osama bin Laden
Interactive Feature
Milestones: Osama bin Laden
In comments at a weekly news conference, Gen. Zahir Azimi, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry, echoed points made earlier this week by others in Afghanistan, including President Hamid Karzai, but in starker terms. The general specifically pointed fingers at Pakistans intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence, which has claimed it was unaware that Bin Laden, the Qaeda leader considered responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, had been living for years in the military garrison town of Abbottabad, where American commandos killed him in a surprise raid early Monday.
If the Pakistani intelligence agency does not know about a home located 10 meters or 100 meters away from its national military academy, where for the last six years the biggest terrorist is living, how can this country take care of its strategic weapons? General Azimi said.
How could they be satisfied that their strategic weapons are not in danger? he asked.
He added that if Pakistans intelligence did in fact know the whereabouts of Bin Laden, then they are playing a double game.
The specific reference to Pakistans intelligence service was an escalation of rhetoric but reflected a refrain heard here since Bin Ladens death was announced: the Afghan government has said repeatedly that the root and branch of the insurgency here were in Pakistan and that the United States had been waging the war in the wrong country.
Mr. Karzai made such remarks somewhat obliquely in his speeches shortly after Bin Ladens death was announced, but his national security adviser, Rangin Spanta, was more explicit.
We have to change the geography of the war, said Mr. Spanta in an interview. For 10 years President Karzai has repeated we have to destroy the sanctuaries and the sanctuaries are in Pakistan.
Beyond the rhetoric, however, lies a far more complicated dynamic. Pakistan is resented for its military strength and in recent years for its power to ratchet up or down the insurgency in Afghanistan through its hosting of terrorist training camps and its financing for jihadist Islamic movements. But it has also been a refuge for millions of Afghans and has a shared culture, especially in the Pashtun tribal areas, which share a common culture and language with the inhabitants of southern and eastern Afghanistan. By contrast, the north and west of the country are inhabited by Dari speakers, whose ethnicity is closer to that of Persians and some Uzbeks and Turkmens.
Despite the animosity and denunciation, there are also deep ties. We can not live in permanent war with a neighbor, said Mr. Spanta, explaining that the tension did not negate the efforts to work with Pakistan to achieve peace with the Taliban.
Our offer to Pakistan for cooperation with Pakistan and building peace, remains the same, said Mr. Spanta, despite Bin Laden, showing up in Pakistans backyard.
General Azimis words were if anything more restrained than those of the former Afghan intelligence director, Amrullah Saleh, who has closely followed Pakistans patterns of support for the Taliban and long been an outspoken critic.
If they were able to protect Osama for 10 years, then Mullah Omar and Haqqani are in the ISI safe guest house, safe house, whatever you want to call it, said Mr. Saleh, shortly after news of Bin Ladens killing became public. Mullah Muhammad Omar is the spiritual leader of the Taliban, and the Haqqani Group is a Taliban offshoot believed to be largely funded by Pakistans intelligence service.
It is time for the United States to wake up to the fact that Pakistan is a hostile state exporting terror, he said.
Afghanistan Intensifies Anti-Pakistan Rhetoric in Aftermath of Bin Laden Raid - NYTimes.com
