U.S. official: Pakistan still tips off militants

Members of a Pakistan tribal peace committee wait to meet with Pakistani army officials and media in Hadambar, in Pakistan's Mohmand tribal region along the Afghan border, Wednesday, June 1, 2011. / AP Photo/Anjum Naveed

WASHINGTON - U.S. officials say Pakistan has apparently tipped off militants at two more bomb-building factories in its tribal areas, giving the terror suspects time to flee, after U.S. intelligence shared the locations with the Pakistani government.

Those officials believe Pakistan's insistence on seeking local tribal elders' permission before raiding the areas may have most directly contributed to the militants' flight. U.S. officials have pushed for Pakistan to keep the location of such targets secret prior to the operations, but the Pakistanis say their troops cannot enter the lawless regions without giving the locals notice.

All officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss matters of intelligence.

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The latest incidents bring to a total of four bomb-making sites that the U.S. has shared with Pakistan only to have the terrorist suspects flee before the Pakistani military arrived much later. The report does not bode well for attempts by both sides to mend relations and rebuild trust after the U.S. raid on May 2 that killed Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, a Pakistani army town only 35 miles (56.32 kilometers) from the capital Islamabad.

The Pakistanis believe the Americans violated their sovereignty by keeping them in the dark about the raid. American officials believe bin Laden's location proves some elements of the Pakistani army or intelligence service helped hide the al-Qaida mastermind, bolstering their argument that the raid had to be done solo.

The U.S. officials explained Saturday how they first offered the location of the third, and then the fourth site, in order to give Pakistan another chance to prove it could be trusted to go after the militants.

In the tradition of 'trust but verify,' the Americans carefully monitored the area with satellite and unmanned drones, to see what would happen, after sharing the information a third and fourth time, the officials said.

In each case, they watched the militants depart within 24 hours, taking any weapons or bomb-making materials with them, just as militants had done the first two times. Only then, did they watch the Pakistani military visit each site, when the terror suspects and their wares were long gone, the officials said.

Pakistan's army on Friday disputed reports that its security forces had tipped off insurgents at bomb-making factories after getting intelligence about the sites from the United States. The army called the assertions of collusion with militants "totally false and malicious."

Army officials further claimed they had successfully raided two more sites, after finding nothing at the first two, but a Pakistani official reached Friday offered no details of what they found there.

The official admitted that in each raid, however, the Pakistani security services notified the local elders who hold sway in the tribal regions. The official said they would investigate U.S. charges that the militants had been tipped off.

Two U.S. officials said they were asking the Pakistanis to withhold such sensitive information from the elders, and even their lower ranks, to prove they could be trusted to keep a secret, and go after U.S. enemies.

At least two of the sites were run by the Haqqani network, which is part of the Taliban, closely allied with al-Qaida, and blamed for some of the deadliest attacks against U.S. troops and civilians in neighboring Afghanistan. Pakistan has long resisted attacking the Haqqani network, saying the group has never attacked the state of Pakistan.

The intelligence sharing was intended as a precursor to building a new joint intelligence team of CIA officers together with Pakistani intelligence agents. But U.S. officials say Pakistan has failed to quickly approve the visas needed, despite agreeing to form the team in May.

U.S. officials have also accused Pakistan of holding up to five Pakistani nationals accused of helping the CIA spy on the Abbottabad compound in advance of the bin Laden raid.

While not confirming the number, a Pakistani official said any citizen who worked with the U.S. to spy on the compound had betrayed his or her country by failing to tip off the government that someone the Americans wanted was hiding in the compound. Such a tip, the official said, could have saved the Pakistani government the embarrassment of being surprised by the bin Laden raid.

[uptothegills]

Pakistan is proving daily that the Pakistani government, military, and intelligence agencies cannot be trusted. Their assertions of "collusion with militant" groups being false and malicious, in my eyes are blatant lies. By official admissions that "security services notified the local elders who hold sway in the tribal regions," it seems obvious that there is either an informant within the security services or the ranks of local elders. The way I see it, it must be one or the other. The only other possibility would be a traitorous spy within NATO's ranks who somehow infiltrated Pakistani intelligence. I whole heartedly rule that possibility out. U.S. officials asking the Pakistanis to withhold sensitive information will not be at all successful. Pakistan is harboring perhaps thousands of Taliban or al-Quaida terrorists. The U.S. does not have an ally in Pakistan. Rather, it is proving itself to be an outright enemy and a rather dangerous one at that.

[lucifersshadow]

Yea, but we just GOTTA keep sending them our tax dollars, they are so indispensable to the USA!

[samXXkiley]

coucou,

comme l'Afghanistan, le Pakistan est instable, les groupes terroristes qui agissent dans ce pays constituent une menace pour la r?gion et pour le reste du monde, le Pakistan est une base d'entrainement pour les terroristes venus d'ailleurs,
le Pakistan est incapable de stopper les terroristes qui tuent les innocents au Pakistan
? croire que cette instabilit? qui r?gne dans ce pays,
ne d?range pas les autorit?s au Pakistan,

.........................
such as Afghanistan, Pakistan is unstable, the terrorist groups operating in that country are a threat to the region and the world, Pakistan is a training base for terrorists from elsewhere,
Pakistan is unable to stop the terrorists who kill innocents in Pakistan
to believe that the instability in that country,
does not bother the authorities in Pakistan
it suits them

"au revoir"

[peguesplace]

One easy solution; link ANY payments to FULL co-operation. If they tip off the insurgents, NO CASH..
As much as we and the international community have given to them, particularly after the devastating floods, it's now time to get some "paybacks". Their way of thinking is "ghetto logic" on a grand scale., "good guys are suckers" to be taken advantage of because "kindness is a Weakness".
Teddy Roosevelt's "walk softly and carry a big stick" has turned into "shout into a bullhorn and carry a big stick of candy". Uncle Sam has become UNCLE SUCKER....

[ksmit2]

US policy in this part of the world seems to have a common theme.
Make an alliance with every possible country or region that hates
US interests and then feed and clothe them for the next 50 years.
The "war on terror" has dissipated into an approach where almost
any reason can be used to deploy our military and borrowed billions
to serve dictators, insurgencies, imagined "allies", and in such
a manner as to have no definition as to goals or what to accomplish. Using our current criteria we could have invaded Kingman Arizona after finding that Timothy McVea launched his attack from there to ensure that any other terrorists were "flushed
out".

[HikerDan]

"Rebuild trust".....?? Who are you freakin' kidding? What trust? Is it for the gullible morons here who want to believe in "Pakistani friends"...? Those that burn our Flag on the regular basis? And we send them freakin' money? The world of politics is a world of lies, but these people are pathological, habitual liars. Not even one word of theirs can be trusted. They are answering only to their clan's elders.

[askagain]

Perhaps it is time to give Pakistan an ultimatum. You are either with us or you are a part of the problem. Unless Pakistan cleans up its act quickly, lets turn our military might on them. Level the country and move on to more fertile ground. We know how to topple governments and devastate a country's infrastructure. We just don't know how to tame a country after we defeat irs government. So lets make it a hit and run operation.

[stupidrules3]

We know how to tame a country after we topple it's government. We do not have the stomach to do it. It involves killing and destruction. We have the capability but not the will. The only way to win a "war" is to remove the enemy's will to fight. The only way to do this is to make them believe that utter annihilation is inevitable and the only alternative is surrender. It is not pretty or humane but nobody ever said war is. If you do not have the will to carry out a war in this manner, you should not get involved in one. This has been true since the beginning of man.

[cattiej]

I have a very simple soulution....we need to get out of Iraq, Afghanastan and tell Pakistan to kiss our butts. Bring our soldiers home immeditely. Why are our people putting their lives on the line?? I know this is a volunteer Army but who in the heck wants to defend these countries when they are allowing our people to get killed and maimed. Don't give them any more money and tell them to give back the billions of dollars we gave them..They are all traitors. Again, simple, line up the helicopers, planes, trucks and bring our military out of there. We are never going to win..throw in the towel..there is no shame in this. Our soldiers are getting killed while like when Nero fiddled while Rome burned, the President and his minions played golf and then sat down for a nice drink to watch TV. Was your son or daughter out on patrol in danger of getting blown to pieces while his was happening...I thought so. Bring our Troops Home Now...they can be stationed on our borders to protect us, not some traitors who only want to stab us in the back and take our money. STOP THE WAR

[cyberus-2009]

"I know this is a volunteer Army"

Volunteer is kind of a loose word IMHO.

Is someone a 'volunteer' if they see the military as the ONLY option after graduating high school?

I've seen, year after year since the war started/economy tanked (which came first is still debatable) kids working as dishwashers in the restaurant signing up simply because they 1) Can't afford college, 2) can't afford to live on what a dishwasher makes and 3) their parent can't afford to support them since one or both are un/under employed already.

Point is, many may not want to be putting their arses on the line for this stupid conflict but some/many don't have a lot of choice.

[bradkt1]

Well what the hell do you expect? PAKISTAN IS THE ENEMY OF THE UNITED STATES!

This is what the enemy does. They work together with your other enemies.

Why can't anyone in Washingtom D.C. understand that?

[CWOODS8178]

PAKISTANIS ARE BIG LIERS ,THEY WOULD HAVE TIPPED OFF BEN LADEN IF THEY HAD BEEN TOLD AHEAD OF RAID.NO WONDER INDIA HATES THEM THEY CANNOT BE TRUSTED