ISI instigating Pak Taliban: Report

Pakistan's ISI is pushing the Talibanto attack US troops and their allies based in Afghanistan, the media here hassaid, close on the heels of a White House report that slammed Islamabad for notdoing enough to battle terrorists holed up near the Af-Pak border.

Several similar charges against ISIhave been made in the past but 'The Wall Street Journal' suggested that thisone was the "strongest yet" and showed a "deterioratingrelationship with an essential ally in the Afghan campaign" which had receivedbillions of dollars in aid.

Some Taliban commanders and USofficials have accused Pakistan's spy agency of telling the insurgents not to surrenderand the Americans also say they have heard similar accounts from capturedmilitants.

"The ISI wants to arrestcommanders who are not obeying (ISI) orders," a Taliban militant in Kunarprovince was quoted as saying by the Journal.

"The ISI wants us to killeveryone  policemen, soldiers, engineers,teachers, civilians  just to intimidatepeople," he said, adding that when he refused the ISI had tried to arresthim. "Afghans are all brothers; tomorrow we could be sitting together inone room."

A senior Pakistani official, however,dismissed the allegation.

"Whenever anything goes wrong inAfghanistan, ISI is to be blamed," the official said. "Honestly, theysee ISI agents behind every bush in Afghanistan."

Now, the ISI's motivation to keepfriendly relations with the insurgents is believed to be desire to keep itsleverage in Afghanistan when the US eventually leaves, as well as preventingIndia from getting cosy inside the war-torn country, the report said.

The newspaper further pointed out thatthe suspicions against the ISI are once again renewed at a time when the US isshifting focus to the militants that have found sanctuary in the lawless tribalregions of Pakistan, which border Afghanistan.

The Taliban and Haqqani network arebelieved to be planning and executing the majority of their attacks from the safehavens in North Waziristan and South Waziristan tribal areas.

The sanctuaries the Taliban andHaqqani have in Pakistan "is a concern we share," Gen David Petraeus,top US commander said in Afghanistan, said recently, amid reports that the CIA isusing US military resources to beef up its drones attacks inside Pakistan - atactic many Pakistanis detest and view as violation of their sovereignty.

Despite high praise for Pakistan'sfight against terrorism from the top brass, reports suggest that many US officialsare frustrated at its alleged double game, which was also highlighted in themassive leak of Afghan-related documents pulled off by Wikileaks, earlier thisyear.

The newspaper said that Admiral MikeMullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has repeatedly warned thatelements within the ISI have had ties with extremist organisations and calledon the intelligence agency to "strategically shift its focus."

Despite several accusations that theISI is in cahoots with the Taliban, the US has not publicly accused Islamabad sinceit is not clear whether this is ISI policy or a few rogue elements are actingout.

The ISI-Taliban nexus goes backdecades when the spy agency along with the CIA trained the militants to fight againstthe Russians in Afghanistan.

Some US officials say the top levelsof the ISI are committed to trying to reform the agency.

"It is difficult to know how muchthe lower levels of ISI answer to senior leadership," a military officialwas quoted as saying by the WSJ. Other officials, however, say that such activitiescannot go on unless with nod from the top.

"I haven't seen evidence that theISI is not in control of all of its parts," said a senior US defenceofficial.

A Taliban commander from thesoutheastern Paktia region said the ISI "is supporting those under itscontrol with money, weapons and shelter on Pakistani soil."

Pakistan, on its part, hasconsistently rejected these accusations and maintains that no country has donemore to fight terrorism.

Earlier, a declassified White Housereport said that Pakistan is not doing enough to combat terrorists and

extremists in its restive tribal beltwhere some of the most wanted insurgents are hiding.

"The Pakistan military continuedto avoid military engagements that would put it in direct conflict with Afghan Talibanor al-Qaeda forces in North Waziristan," the WSJ reported citing the27-page White House report which is to be given to Congress.