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Afghan intel sez Mullah Omar is in Pakistan
 KABUL - President Hamid Karzai has handed intelligence to Pakistan that indicates Mullah Mohammed Omar, supreme leader of the Taleban regime ousted by US-led forces, and key associates are hiding in Pakistan, a senior Afghan official said on Friday. The intelligence was shared during a visit by Karzai to Islamabad last week, and comes after a wave of suicide attacks that have fueled Afghan suspicions that militants are operating out of Pakistan. Afghanistan also provided information about the locations of alleged terrorist training camps along the border and in Pakistani cities, said the official, who is familiar with the information shared with Pakistan. He declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue.
Omar has been at large since the Taleban was ousted by US-led forces in late 2001 for sheltering Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. The US government has offered a US$10 million reward for information leading to Omars capture. Pakistan denies offering a haven for Taleban leaders or fighters.
| "Nope, not us, wouldn't do it now, nope, nope." |
Earlier this week, Pakistans interior minister, Aftab Khan Sherpao, confirmed that Afghanistan had handed over information about Taleban suspects. On Friday, he declined comment. He said, however, that Pakistan would capture them if they are here.
| "We're a big country. They might be here. They might be elsewhere." |
We have passed on the intelligence that we have about Mullah Omar and a number of his close associates to Pakistan, said the Afghan official. The intelligence is about those members of the Taleban leadership who we believe are in Pakistan. The official said other suspects believed to be in Pakistan included Mullah Dadullah, the Talebans head of operations in southern Afghanistan; and Ahktar Mohammed Usmani, a former commander in Kandahar. The official refused to give details about where in Pakistan they were thought to be hiding.
| Not that it matters, the Paks aren't going to do anything about it anyway. |
A Pakistani intelligence official said that during his visit, Karzai had mentioned that Omar could also be hiding somewhere in Pakistan as he keeps changing his location along the border. But he said Karzai gave no details on Omars whereabouts. A senior Pakistani Interior Ministry official said it was easy to make the allegation, but asked, Do they have any evidence?
| "Because if so, we need to move these guys fast!" |
Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah told The Associated Press that Afghanistan had shared with Pakistan whatever we considered was credible intelligence. They promised they would look into it. He declined to give details, other than that the information included the presence of Taleban leaders, the presence of training camps and other security-related issues. A senior Afghan counterterrorism official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity because of the issues sensitivity, said Afghanistan had given Pakistan information about 150 suspects, including senior and second-tier Taleban commanders. A lot of Taleban are living in Quetta, Peshawar and Karachi, he said, referring to three major Pakistani cities. He said Afghanistan gave specific information to Pakistan, including some addresses.
| How 'bout just giving the info to us and letting us take care of it? |
Posted by: Steve White 2006-02-26 |
