Afghanistan has hit back at Pakistan’s dismissal of its intelligence about Taliban and Al Qaeda militants in Pakistani territory, notably information about the whereabouts of the reclusive Taliban leader Mulla Omar. Afghanistan handed over the information during a visit last month by President Hamid Karzai to Pakistan — a key ally in the US “war on terror”..

Pakistan at first denied in statements to the media that it had received the intelligence and then said most of it was outdated, including about the possible whereabouts of the fugitive Omar. Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah questioned Pakistan’s attitude. He said that Afghanistan would not have handed over information it did not believe in and neighbours were expected to share details of the common threat. “We wouldn’t have given anything to them had we not been sure about its credibility,” he said in an interview.

Abdullah said Afghanistan believed most of the “Taliban leaders that are actively instigating terror in Afghanistan” were in Pakistan, with Omar known to have spent time in the border city of Peshawar and in Balochistan. “We have provided evidence of him being outside of Afghanistan, in Quetta in Balochistan , to our Pakistani friends.” This was not for “one day, not one hour but time and again in Quetta.” Afghan officials have repeatedly accused Pakistan of turning a blind eye to Taliban training camps on its soil and also alleged that some circles in Pakistan support the hardliners. Pakistan denies the accusations, pointing to the tens of thousands of troops it has had in the region for two years to hunt down the militants. It also claims to have netted two-thirds of the Qaeda leaders in its territory.

KABUL (Rantburg News Service): Afghanistan has pointed out the absurdity of Pakistan’s frantic dismissal of its intelligence about Taliban and Al Qaeda terrorists tromping around in Pakistani territory, notably information that pinpoints the location of unemployed potentate Mulla Omar. Afghanistan backed the Musharraf government into a corner when it handed over the information during a state visit last month by President Hamid Karzai. Pakistan at first denied that it had received the intelligence and then said most of it was outdated. They thought seriously about denying that Karzai had been there, then changed their minds when someone pointed out that there were photographs and too many witnesses. Eventually they settled for claiming the dog ate it. Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah questioned Pakistan’s attitude. "It's kind of fun to watch them squirm and convolute and say funny things," he told Rantburg News Service. "We sure as hell wouldn't have handed over the information if we hadn't known it was good." Abdullah said most of the “Taliban leaders that are actively instigating terror in Afghanistan” were in Pakistan. "We know who's putting them up in their guest houses, whose wives they're flirting with, who's loaning them money. All those turbans trotting back and forth across the border in the dead of night? Well, that goes both ways. I mean, the American press was able to stumble across some of these guys; what makes them think we can't?" Omar is known to have spent time in the border city of Peshawar and in Balochistan. “We have provided evidence of him being outside of Afghanistan, in Quetta in Balochistan — photos, recordings of his phone calls, that sort of thing — to our Pakistani friends.” This was not for “one day, not one hour but time and again in Quetta.” Afghan officials have repeatedly accused Pakistan of turning a blind eye to Taliban training camps on its soil and also alleged that that Pak fundamentalists, such as Qazi Hussein Ahmad, Fazlur Rehman, Samiul Haq, and most of the ISI, support the terrorists. Pakistan denies the accusations, pointing to the many tribal lashkars it has had in the region for two years to hunt down the militants. It also claims to have netted two-thirds of the Qaeda leaders in its territory.