US-Pak military chiefs huddle in Rawalpindi

By Kamran Yousaf

Published: July 15, 2011

The discussions were focused on reviving cooperation between the ISI and the CIA. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

ISLAMABAD:  As civilian leaderships in Islamabad and Washington look on from the sidelines, military and intelligence chiefs from Pakistan and the US work frantically to rebuild their strained anti-terror cooperation.

The new CIA chief General David Petraeus and the head of the US-led international forces for Afghanistan Lt-Gen John Allen held crucial talks with Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi on Thursday.
The discussions come amid simmering tensions between the two countries over Pakistan’s decision to expel US military trainers and a crackdown against the “private CIA network” in the aftermath of the unilateral American raid that killed al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.
Matters of ‘professional interest’
Not surprisingly, little has trickled down from the meeting between the American and Pakistani military chiefs.
“They discussed various topics of mutual interest and ways to improve regional security,” said a statement issued by the US Embassy after the meeting.
The statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) did not give any details either.
“The visiting dignitary remained with him for some time and discussed matters of professional interest,” it said.
Military sources, however, say the two sides have realised that they need to resolve their differences.
“The back-to-back interactions this week in Washington and Islamabad is an indication that the two sides are willing to move on,” said a military official on condition of anonymity.
The discussions were focused on reviving full intelligence cooperation between the ISI and the CIA, affected due to the ongoing row, the official added.
Intelligence officials here have said that Pakistan has no problem in intelligence cooperation with the US to fight terrorism but would not tolerate any “private CIA network” in the country.
Meanwhile, experts believe that both sides cannot afford a breakdown in ties at a time when the decade-old battle in Afghanistan has entered into a decisive phase.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 15^th, 2011.

ISI chief's US visit went 'very well'

By Huma Imtiaz

Published: July 15, 2011

A senior US government official has said that the meeting between DG ISI and his CIA counterpart went very well. PHOTO: EXPRESS

WASHINGTON: Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt-Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha departed Washington on Thursday  after meeting Acting Director Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Michael Morell, Special Representative AfPak Mark Grossman and officials from the White House and the US state department.
A senior US government official has said that the meeting between DG ISI and his CIA counterpart went very well and both sides agreed on a number of steps that will improve Pakistan and the United States’ national security.
Another source familiar with the meetings said that they were held in a cordial environment. The source said that the subjects of the meetings included co-operation in intelligence matters, Pakistan’s concerns and respect for its limitations.
A senior official at the Pakistani embassy in Washington said the meetings helped stabilise the intelligence partnership between the two countries.
“Both sides were able to agree on the way forward in intelligence,” the Pakistani official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
“This visit has put the intelligence component back on track completely.”
Pasha made a brief visit to Washington, arriving on Wednesday and leaving on Thursday, to meet with Acting CIA Director Michael Morell and other intelligence officials. Both sides sought to renew ties of cooperation and move forward in an often challenging relationship.
WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM REUTERS

Mohmand Agency: Tribes should take effective control to ensure peace, says Kayani

By PPI

Published: July 14, 2011

Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani with troops during his visit to Mohmand Agency. PHOTO: INP

RAWALPINDI:  Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Wednesday emphasised the need for local Pakhtun tribes to take full responsibility to ensure peace in Mohmand Agency, while the area paid rich tributes to the soldiers who laid down their lives in the fight against terrorism in the region.

Addressing troops at Wali Dad Top, near the Pak-Afghan border, during a visit to Mohmand Agency, he attributed the success of the military operation in the region to the “outstanding combat skills and high morale of the armed forces and the FC.” He also praised the joint operations of the army and the air force for the clearance of the Suran Sector, an ISPR press release said.
General Kayani also met Mishrans (notables) of Mohmand Agency and thanked them for their support towards military operations. He emphasised the need for tribes to take full responsibility and effective control to ensure peace in the area. He also directed military and civil authorities to extend all possible support to the returning IDPs.
Malik Subedar Safi, representative of the local Mishrans, thanked the COAS and acknowledged the sacrifices of the army in flushing out terrorists. Mishrans also appreciated the efforts of the Political Agent in restoring the old system of the tribal administration as per their Riwaj.
General Kayani was informed that over 1,500 terrorists have surrendered to the Political Agent and are being dealt in accordance with the Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR).
During the army operations in Mohmand, 69 officers and soldiers were killed and 231 were injured [including 41 critical injuries], the press release said. The COAS was accompanied by Corps Commander Peshawar Lt General Asif Yasin Malik and IG FC Major General Nadir Zeb. 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 14^th, 2011.

US, Norwegian citizens barred from entering Peshawar

Published: July 14, 2011

Sources have said the foreigners were carrying valid visas and passports, but did not have an NOC for travelling to Peshawar. PHOTO: EXPRESS 24/7

PESHAWAR: Two United States (US) citizens and a Norwegian have been disallowed from entering Peshawar after they were found to be travelling without a No Objection Certificate (NOC), Express 24/7 reported on Thursday.
The foreigners were taken into custody at the Peshawar Interchange on the Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway and were sent back to Islamabad.
Sources have said the foreigners were carrying valid visas and passports, but did not have an NOC for travelling to Peshawar. There are also reports of an automatic rifle being kept inside the vehicle.
The police department was given clear instructions from the Foreign Office and Interior Ministry to stop the foreigners from entering Peshawar if they did not have valid papers, sources said.

NATO commander Petraeus meets Pakistani army chief

By AFP

Published: July 14, 2011

General David Petraeus met with the Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani. (AP)

ISLAMABAD: General David Petraeus, commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, visited Pakistan for security talks with its army chief on Thursday amid high tensions between Washington and Islamabad.
“They discussed various topics of mutual interest and ways to improve regional security,” the US embassy said in a statement after Petraeus met his Pakistani counterpart General Ashfaq Kayani.
The talks came after Washington decided to withhold a third of its annual $2.7 billion security assistance to Islamabad after dozens of American military trainers were ordered to leave after a May 2 raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
The cuts of $800 million reportedly include about $300 million used to reimburse Pakistan for the cost of deploying more than 100,000 soldiers along the Afghan border, a hotbed of Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked militants.
Pakistan has been adamant that there should be no more unilateral American raids, like that which killed Bin Laden in the garrison town of Abbottabad, although the White House has said it will act again if necessary.
Petraeus also met with US ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter and received updates on the security assistance mission to Pakistan, the embassy said.
Accompanying General Petraeus was Marine Lieutenant General John Allen who will succeed him as commander of the NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.

Four US drone strikes kill 47 people in N Waziristan

Published: July 12, 2011

A US drone targeted a house and a vehicle in Datta Khel with 10 missiles killing eight people. PHOTO: AFP

DATTA KHEL: Forty seven people were killed in 4 drone strikes in the last 24 hours in the tribal areas of Pakistan.
Sources said a US drone targeted a house and a vehicle in Datta Khel area of North Waziristan with 10 missiles killing eight people.
Earlier in the day three drone attacks killed 32 suspected militants in the area. The US drones targeted a compound and a vehicle in tehsil Shawal of North Waziristan and fired four missiles this morning.
Eighteen people were killed and the vehicle and compound were completely destroyed in the attack.
Last night, 10 militants were killed as a drone targeted a vehicle and compound in Datta Khel, North Waziristan.
Earlier, a drone strike had also killed four people and injured seven others in the Bermel area of South Waziristan.
More than 90 militants have been killed since June in drone attacks, according to Reuters figures based on statements from local intelligence officials.
Pakistan has regularly complained about the US drone strikes, saying they complicate Islamabad’s efforts to win the support of the Pakistani people and isolate the militants in border regions.
Pakistan-US relations have steadily declined since 2010,with ties severely weakened following the killing of two Pakistanis by a CIA contractor in January, and the US raid that killed bin Laden in May, which Pakistan says was a breach of its sovereignty.
The United States this week said it was holding off $800million in military aid to Pakistan in a show of displeasure over Pakistan’s cutback of U.S. military trainers, limits on visa for US personnel and other bilateral irritants.
The United States has intensified drone aircraft missile strikes in Pakistan’s northwest along the Afghan border.
The CIA operates a covert drone programme which targets suspected militants in countries like Pakistan.
It’s possibly the United States’ worst-kept secret even though it has opened up a debate about the legality of international state-sponsored killing of adversaries.
The United States is essentially deploying aerial robots to wage war along the inaccessible border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan.