blackwater 007
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WASHINGTON: The United States is increasing pressure on Pakistan to provide it with much broader airline passenger information as part of its efforts to combat terrorism, The New York Times reported Monday.
Citing unnamed US officials, the newspaper said the administration of President Barack Obama considers this information a crucial tool needed to track suspects' travel patterns.
The report comes in the wake of the failed May 1 attack on New York's crowded Times Square, in the city's busy theatre district. A 30-year-old Pakistani-born naturalised US citizen, Faisal Shahzad, has been charged in connection with the incident.
Pakistan currently provides the names of airline passengers travelling to the United States, the Times report said.
But the US wants information on Pakistanis who fly to other countries, to feed into databases that can detect patterns used by terrorists, their financiers, logisticians and others who support them, the paper noted.
Pakistan has for several years resisted this request, the paper noted.
But the issue is now on a short list of issues between the two countries, which includes classified counterterrorism programs and enhanced intelligence sharing, The Times said.
US officials say Shahzad is connected to Pakistani Taliban insurgents and Obama has sent two senior national security aides to Islamabad to join the investigation into the May 1 car bombing attempt.
Citing unnamed US officials, the newspaper said the administration of President Barack Obama considers this information a crucial tool needed to track suspects' travel patterns.
The report comes in the wake of the failed May 1 attack on New York's crowded Times Square, in the city's busy theatre district. A 30-year-old Pakistani-born naturalised US citizen, Faisal Shahzad, has been charged in connection with the incident.
Pakistan currently provides the names of airline passengers travelling to the United States, the Times report said.
But the US wants information on Pakistanis who fly to other countries, to feed into databases that can detect patterns used by terrorists, their financiers, logisticians and others who support them, the paper noted.
Pakistan has for several years resisted this request, the paper noted.
But the issue is now on a short list of issues between the two countries, which includes classified counterterrorism programs and enhanced intelligence sharing, The Times said.
US officials say Shahzad is connected to Pakistani Taliban insurgents and Obama has sent two senior national security aides to Islamabad to join the investigation into the May 1 car bombing attempt.
