Yesterday the New York Times reported that the Pakistani government has detained five informants that helped the CIA locate Osama Bin Laden.
The article reports:
"The fate of the C.I.A. informants arrested in Pakistan is unclear, but American officials said that the C.I.A. director, Leon E. Panetta, raised the issue when he travelled to Islamabad last week to meet with Pakistani military and intelligence officers.
"Some in Washington see the arrests as illustrative of the disconnect between Pakistani and American priorities at a time when they are supposed to be allies in the fight against Al Qaeda -- instead of hunting down the support network that allowed Bin Laden to live comfortably for years, the Pakistani authorities are arresting those who assisted in the raid that killed the world's most wanted man."
This is another indication that Pakistan may not be our best ally in the war on terrorism. At risk is the future of the drone program that has been so instrumental in dealing with the top leadership of Al Qaeda in Pakistan. There has been a lot of pressure from Pakistan to end this program.
The article further reports:
"Another casualty of the recent tension is an ambitious Pentagon program to train Pakistani paramilitary troops to fight Al Qaeda and the Taliban in those same tribal areas. That program has ended, both American and Pakistani officials acknowledge, and the last of about 120 American military advisers have left the country.
"American officials are now scrambling to find temporary jobs for about 50 Special Forces support personnel who had been helping the trainers with logistics and communications. Their visas were difficult to obtain and officials fear if these troops are sent home, Pakistan will not allow them to return."
Pakistan receives $2 billion in American military aid annually. It might be time to take another look at how that money is being spent.
Another recent event should cause America to question the seriousness of the Pakistani's war on terror. The article reports:
"American officials said Mr. Panetta presented satellite photographs of two bomb-making factories that American spies several weeks ago had asked the ISI to raid. When Pakistani troops showed up days later, the militants were gone, causing American officials to question whether the militants had been warned by someone on the Pakistani side.
"Shortly after the failed raids, the Defense Department put a hold on a $300 million payment reimbursing Pakistan for the cost of deploying more than 100,000 troops along the border with Afghanistan, two officials said. The Pentagon declined to comment on the payment, except to say it was "continuing to process several claims.""
Enough.
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