Mullen adds to the tension between the US and Pakistan

porkbelly

Surely if Pakistan is behind an attack on the American embassy it is they who are responsible for adding to the tension, not Adm. Mullen for merely pointing it out? Let us stop treating this cesspool of terrorism, bigotry and corruption as anything other than a dangerous failed state, a menace to what's left of civilization. Cutting off aid would be a sensible place to begin; contingency plans to eliminate its nuclear arsenal should be close behind.

Nicholas Hallam

I doubt that there is much to be gained in the long run by pretending that the Pakistani intelligence service is guiltless of involvement in Islamic terrorism.

For one thing, from what I recall, the evidence pointing to their role in financing and coordinating the Mumbai massacres is too strong to ignore.

RCE

Legend has it that on September 12th 2001, Donald Rumsfeld telephoned Musharraf and said he would "bomb the FATA back to the stone age" if the US did not get Islamabad's full support in what became known as the war on terror.

Aside from the slight difficulty in that the FATA is in many ways pre-stone age, Rumsfeld's threat is perhaps now overdue...

Cogito Ergosum

Pakistan seems to be a deeply divided country, between those who want their own version of Western life and those who want religious feudalism.

We have been reading recently how William Hague want to revitalise our Foroeign Office. Do they have people who can begin to act constructively with the "good" elements in Pakistan?

daniel maris

At last! Some straight talking. It seems pretty clear the ISI are at war with us. HOwever do we explain the presence of Osama bin Laden in a heavily guarded garrison town in Pakistan.

We should pull the plug on Pakistan and do everything to support India, a democracy with some semblance of rule of law and interest in developing friendly relations with the rest of the world.

wakeuptheworld

I am not surprised at Mullen's comments, with the amount of money the USA is spending in Pakistan, one would hope for more cooperation. Perhaps they will get the message if this months cheque does not arrive.

Baron

porkbelly & RCE, daniel sum it up well except that here there is a sizeable number of the unwashed with close ties to the country, if it ever came to blows or even severe cooling of relations, would the multy-culty embrace be of any help?

Dimoto

I seem to recall that the US was all too keen to remove Musharraf, and replace him with a "democratically elected", corrupt, rotten, manipulative, gang.
Perhaps they should be more careful of what they wish for.

Hayward Maberley

The ISI are a law to themselves, but they were able to become so thanks to US involvement in Aghanistan.

For when the USSR decided to assist Afghanistan (the same way the USA did in Viet Nam) at the request of the then recognised Government of Afghanistan, the USA determined that it would turn Afghanistan into a USSR " Viet Nam”

This was carried out through co-operation with Saudi Arabia. The Sunni Wahabi-Salafi preached jihad against the godless communist USSR and its assistance to the then Afghan Government.

The Saudis provided vast amounts of money, the USA some funds and most of the military equipment, initially of Eastern bloc origin, from that great bazaar that is the black market in weapons world wide.

The Pakistani ISI was responsible for the overall “mujahadeen programme”

This enabled the recruitment of thousands of mujahadeen, their arming, equipping and training all done through the good offices of the ISI, The ISI was responsible for the overall “mujahadeen programme.

As an example read “Buda’s Wagon : a brief history of the car bomb” by Mike Davis. Chapter 13 “Car Bomb University”

An “institution” jointly funded by Saudi GDI then run by Prince Turki bin Faisal and the CIA then run by William Casey. At “Car Bomb U” they were trained by CIA operatives whose experience came from their work in Viet Nam and other parts of Indo China, Central and South America and Europe. Subjects included IED/VIED., pipe bombs and even camel bombs,

These devices were then employed along with other weaponry to attack the Soviet Forces in Afghanistan.

Usama bin Laden, one among many of the mujahadeen, forced the USSR to abandon Afghanistan. The Taliban won out in the civil war that ensured. These were the “graduates” of Sunni Wahabi Salafi funded madrassas, many in Pakistan, where jihad was on the syllabus.

Reason

Sorry Porkbelly you are referring to Saudi? " Let us stop treating this cesspool of terrorism, bigotry and corruption as anything other than a dangerous failed state, a menace to what's left of civilization."

General Zod

The US must know where Pakistan's nukes are. They should disable them and invite India to invade.