Posted on 12/19/2006 4:50:22 PM PST by Dog
Afghanistan says it has arrested a Pakistani intelligence agent who acted as a key link with al-Qaeda leaders. Presidential spokesman Karim Rahimi said the agent had been detained in eastern Kunar province carrying documents which proved his guilt.
The news came a day after intelligence officials said an Afghan general had been arrested for spying for Pakistan.
Afghanistan has long blamed Pakistan for cross-border attacks by the Taleban. Islamabad denies the charges.
'Bin Laden escort'
Mr Karimi named the man arrested as Sayed Akbar, who he said worked for Pakistan's controversial Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.
A Pakistani national currently working as an officer for the ISI was arrested with convincing documents
"Some evidence and documents have been seized with him proving his destructive activities in Afghanistan," Mr Karimi told a news conference in the capital, Kabul.
Sayed Akbar comes from the Chitral region of northern Pakistan bordering the Afghan province of Nuristan, the spokesman said.
The BBC's Payenda Sargand in Kabul says, according to the Afghan authorities, Mr Akbar was in charge of relations between the ISI and al-Qaeda leaders.
Officials say he has confessed to his "illegal activities" in Afghanistan. These are said to include escorting Osama Bin Laden last year from Nuristan to Chitral.
On Monday, intelligence officials in Kabul said they had arrested an Afghan army general, Khair Mohammed, on charges of selling secrets to the ISI.
Mr Rahimi told the news conference: "National security officials arrested a defence ministry general committing national treason, spying for foreigners, and he is under investigation."
Correspondents say it is not clear if the two arrests are linked. The defence ministry issued a statement saying that Khair Mohammed had not worked for it for almost four years.
There has so far been no response from Pakistan to news of either arrest.
Worsening row
Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have been tense for years, but have worsened during 2006 as violence in Afghanistan has soared.
Last week, President Hamid Karzai publicly accused the Pakistani government of backing the Taleban and said it wanted to turn Afghans into "slaves".
Afghanistan says Taleban leaders plot some of their attacks on Afghan targets from Pakistani soil.
Pakistan was once the Taleban's main sponsor, but after the September 2001 attacks in the United States Islamabad joined the US-led "war on terror".
The Pakistani government denies it continues to support the militants or that it could do more to stop them crossing the porous border, and points to the deaths of hundreds of Pakistani troops fighting pro-Taleban militants in the country's tribal areas.
The authorities say that more than 3,500 people have been killed in Afghanistan in 2006 - the bloodiest year since US-led troops ousted the Taleban five years ago.
Fyi..
Chitral again my friend..
Yeah, right. Liar.
OBL must have paid off people in millions of dollars to keep his lowly self from being found. To think he's been outta sight for this many years.
????
pong
Question is....still been awfully silent since we hit that party at the end of October (?). Nothing from Zawahiri and silence from Osama......did we hurt one or both or are they hiding?
If we ever do get he of the failing kidneys, we should then ask the Pakistanis some very tough questions.
Very true. If he is dialysis dependent. He would need some serious technological and medical support.
somebody get some WD40 onto the waterboard hinge, fast.
chitral is his winter home........we need actionable intelligence to send a few jdam's his way
Good for Afghanistan!
Who's got a map?
Officials say he has confessed to his "illegal activities" in Afghanistan.
That "panties on the head" technique sure pays off, too bad
we can't use it.
Sorry, couldn't help myself!
bump
The ISI are scum. They are our enemies.
"OBL must have paid off people in millions of dollars to keep his lowly self from being found. To think he's been outta sight for this many years."
I saw him two weeks ago at a Seattle Starbucks. He served me a grande double decaf mocchiato with extra foam.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.