New leak strains U.S., Pakistan relations
Los Angeles Times
Published: April 26, 2011
ISLAMABAD - Authorities at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, regarded Pakistan's national intelligence agency, ISI, as either involved in or supporting terrorism, according to leaked documents made public Monday, a designation that could anger leaders in the nuclear-armed Muslim country and worsen a relationship already marred by deep mutual distrust.
Last week, in a visit to Pakistan, Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, bluntly raised the allegation of a relationship between the ISI and the Haqqani network, an Afghan Taliban wing. Pakistani army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani dismissed such accusations from the United States as "negative propaganda."
The latest disclosure, made in a new round of WikiLeaks documents focusing on U.S. handling of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, comes at a time when relations between Washington and Islamabad are at one of their lowest points.
The September 2007 document, titled "Matrix of Threat Indicators," lists the Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate, Pakistan's main intelligence agency, as one of 65 "terrorist and terrorist support entities."
The list was drafted to help interrogators at Guantanamo determine a detainee's linkage with terrorist organizations.
"Through associations with these groups and organizations," the document states, "a detainee may have provided support to al-Qaida or the Taliban, or engaged in hostilities against U.S. or coalition forces."
Pakistani intelligence officials refused to comment Monday. In the past, the country's intelligence community has denied any links to militant groups.
The ISI long has been said to have nurtured longstanding ties with Afghan mujahedeen groups that years ago battled Soviet forces and later evolved into today's insurgents fighting U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.