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Pakistan to give more aid to hunt
©Associated Press ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistan has agreed to step up cooperation with the CIA in the hunt for Osama bin Laden, which is now centering on the rugged mountains along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan, the Associated Press reported Tuesday, quoting Pakistani intelligence whom it did not name. The agreement followed weekend meetings with CIA director George Tenet, who also urged Pakistan to crack down on religious schools seen as training grounds for Islamic militants. U.S. officials confirmed Tenet's visit but refused to discuss the content of his meetings. Pakistani intelligence officials said Pakistani officials, including President Pervez Musharraf, told Tenet their government would enhance cooperation with the CIA, joining the hunt for bin Laden and giving American spies access to seven arrested members of bin Laden's al-Qaida network. In return, Tenet said the United States would provide surveillance equipment, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Pakistan's intelligence agents, many of whom are of the Pashtun ethnic group that straddles the country's border with Afghanistan, have a larger presence in Afghanistan than anyone else. The United States considers their cooperation essential in tracking down bin Laden and his al-Qaida terror network. Despite Pakistan's support for the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, only a few of the country's Inter-Service Intelligence agents have been sharing information with their CIA counterparts. The agency's director, Lt. Gen. Ehsanul Haq, told Tenet that would change, the officials said.
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From the Times wire desk
From the AP |
