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Taliban Leader Is Hiding and Being Protected in Pakistan, Says Spokesman

January 17, 2007 11:28 AM

Mullahomar2_nrFugitive Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar is alive and well and living in Pakistan under the protection of the Pakistan intelligence agency, according to the captured spokesman for the Taliban, Mohammad Hanif.

Hanif was captured in Afghanistan yesterday, and today the Afghan government released video footage of him in which he claims to know the location of Omar.

"He is living in Quetta," says Hanif, "and the ISI [Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence Agency] is protecting him."

"This is as absolutely absurd and ridiculous a statement that one could have," said Major General Shaukat Sultan, the Pakistan military's spokesman.

While Pakistani officials dismiss this statement, the information coincides with secret U.S. military documents obtained by ABC News earlier this year. The documents were part of a U.S. targeting assessment produced in January 2005 and, incredibly, were bought at an Afghanistan street bazaar, just a few hundred feet from the front gate of the U.S. air base in Bagram.

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The documents listed 16 senior level al Qaeda and Taliban leaders, including Omar, as hiding in Pakistan where U.S. troops cannot operate.

U.S. officials said the information was provided to the government of Pakistani Pres. Pervez Musharraf but that the tier-one targets continue to operate inside Pakistan.

January 17, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (25)

User Comments

time for some covert ops and GET these guys and if a country IS hiding them, cut off ALL US DOLLARS...I'm tired of paying taxes to help support countries that hold out their one hand and flip us off with the other..and we just keep on filling the one hand and see nothing being done with the other...maybe it's getting time for a revolution here....

Posted by: Jim | Jan 17, 2007 11:57:38 AM

What in the world is this adminstration waiting for?

Posted by: Antonia | Jan 17, 2007 11:58:18 AM

Our troops can't operate in Pakistan and the CIA can't find the high level Al Qaeda and Taliban either? This sunds a lot like the Border Patrol not being able to find illegals even though they are hanging out at Home Depot, doesn't it?

Posted by: Don Lester | Jan 17, 2007 12:00:48 PM

Just go get him! Worry about Pakistan later! So much politics and media hype!

Posted by: Gerald | Jan 17, 2007 12:02:54 PM

Why is this any surprise? Their have always been elements in the ISI sympathetic to al Qaeda and the Taliban. Pakistan is a haven for terrorists and extremism. They only do enough in the war on terror so as not to draw the ire of the U.S. The ultimatum that former deputy secretary of state richard armitage put towards this after 9/11 regarding them either being an ally against terror or being bombed backed to the Stone Age needs to be put forth again. Period.

Posted by: Bob | Jan 17, 2007 12:20:40 PM

Why should the US appease Pakistan?

Posted by: I'm not here | Jan 17, 2007 1:33:47 PM

All superheros need super villains: Dubya isn't interested in taking out bin Laden and has said so. It would remove the trademarke face of the War on Terror and remove any need for superhero preznits who can't find their backs with both hands.

Posted by: pzykr | Jan 17, 2007 1:35:48 PM

Nothing about the "War on Terror" has proven to be as claimed; I would not be surprised that U.S. Intel & the Bush Administration not only know these facts, but approve of the "safe-keeping", in order to trot out Al Queda "Boogie-Men" when it suits their need to frighten the sheep..er...voters, or change the subject.

Posted by: neclark | Jan 17, 2007 2:08:39 PM

you know one of the major reasons why WW2 was won, because of carpet bombing. At the start of war careful planning was taken to insure only military targets were bombed....towards the end, if an enemy was hiding in a civilian area and those civilians where not fighting that enemy then by default they must be the enemy as well....therefore bomb them.

Posted by: Aaron C | Jan 17, 2007 4:26:56 PM

As long as we allow refuges for these vermin...they will continue to plot, plan and survive to attack us a another day....

Our inability to finish off the AQ
leaderhsip is our achilles heel...politicans need to let the military fight the war to win and stop interfering

Posted by: major | Jan 18, 2007 12:03:01 AM

TO UNCLE SAM:
-STOP FUNDING THE DICTATORS AROUND THE WORLD FOR OUR SHORT TERM NATIONAL INTEREST. PAKISTAN IS A TERRORIST STATE RULED BY A DICTATOR.

TO ALL THE OTHER DUMB IDIOTS (i.e Aaron):
-STOP MAKING DUMB COMMENTS. WE HAVE NO RIGHT TO KILL INNOCENT PEOPLE. THEY ARE INVOLUNTARILY PARTICIPANTS. ALL THEY CARE ABOUT IS FOOD AND SHELTER.

Posted by: jack | Jan 18, 2007 8:22:21 AM

War is War, fight it as such. Door to Door find weapons, destroy them, anyone picks up a weapon, kill them. wipe them out. that will end the war. We have the tools to put a end to it.

Posted by: David | Jan 18, 2007 9:46:02 AM

Hi ALL

I appeal to the world community to divide pakistan into five countries to eliminate terrorism, they are cheaters and are protecting al-quaida, amercan gereral are fools and incapable. carpet bomb the entire nwfp, waziristan, forget world opinion.

Regards

INDIAN

Posted by: INDIAN | Jan 18, 2007 9:59:23 AM

Everything about the war on terror is what it claimed. We were attacked on US soil and thousands lost their lives! It seems people are just putting that in the past and shame on you.
Running and hiding is not the answer. Blaming Bush is not the answer, going after them is the only way. You Bush haters have turned into a cult with you rapid
endless war of words. Talk about sheep.

Posted by: patrice | Jan 18, 2007 11:01:31 AM

divide india into three countries. oh forgot, that happened in the last 50 years. how about india trying to solve its own problem with over population and an outdated caste system and their sikh problem and we'll handle ours. Don't Ya think? By the way, stop stealing our jobs.

Posted by: john | Jan 19, 2007 3:27:24 AM

i wanna know how anyone can even think bush knows what hes doing with the whole war. i dont think he understands what war is. he thinks the internet is the internets like theres more than one. he is not a leader he is a follower.

Posted by: madsin | Jan 19, 2007 10:37:23 AM

i wanna know how anyone can even think bush knows what hes doing with the whole war. i dont think he understands what war is. he thinks the internet is the internets like theres more than one. he is not a leader he is a follower.

Posted by: madsin | Jan 19, 2007 10:38:17 AM

We got a neutered president. What we need is someone with guts. The only way we're going to win is to take the gloves off and start putting on the smackdown. Put the fear of God in them until they are afraid to pull these antics.

Posted by: Lyle | Jan 19, 2007 8:22:23 PM

Look, guys. We never win this war, espcially with those extreme terrorist. We, generation after generaltion will suffer and suffer. You know why? Because we are too much with human right and freedom . Look at China and Russian and see how they fixed their terrorist problems and learn from them. Remember how the Russian gased the theater where both terrorist and innocent hostages died. Remember how China crushed their own people with tanks to stop the Tiananmen Square demonstration. See, China now rich and peaceful, their people are protected. we are here just worrying day by day and don't know where and when we're attacked right at our home by all kind of means. Please people learn from China .... Take my words, that's the only way to win this world domestically and globally. For Iraq, learn from Sadam Hussein, that the only and only way to win the Iraq war. Cruel, unhuman??? We must be unhuman to be human. What is the first reason we went for Iraq war???

Thanks,
Charlie

Posted by: Charlie | Jan 22, 2007 3:09:04 PM

ah nuts...again...instead of being in Iraq we should be cleaning up countries that harbor our enemies...like Pakistan...no more strategic bombing and just carpet bomb the place. If a civilian is harboring an enemy then they too must be an enemy! Old WW2 logic.

Posted by: Aaron C | Jan 23, 2007 1:10:47 PM

If them librals in Washington would just get off of President Bush's back the war on terror would have been over with by now.

Posted by: Husker bob | Jan 25, 2007 2:18:43 PM

My book "DIVIDE PAKISTAN TO ELIMINATE TERRORISM" is the best answer to all problems pertaining to international terrorism. The root cause of terrorism exists on the soil of Pakistan. If Pakistan is disintegrated, this will destroy the entire terrorist network being nurtured by Inter-Services Intelligence of Pakistan and radical religious cult called TABLIGHI JAMAT (which is mother organization of all fanatic Jihadist groups).

Posted by: SYED JAMALUDDIN | Feb 27, 2007 6:18:26 PM

well john, if Americans aren't smart enough to do their own jobs, we cannot blame the Indians. As for dividing India, the problem with this so called American led "war on terror" is that Americans don't even know who their real enemies are. Instead of targetting the real islamists in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia they for no reason want to fight Iraq and Iran, nations that have nothing to do with terrorism. And as per you statement of dividing India, the only reason India was divided was the mindset which breeds intolerance and hatred.

Posted by: Kay | Mar 15, 2007 6:34:03 PM

In my opinion, the book titled "DIVIDE PAKISTAN TO ELIMINATE TERRORISM" is a must-read book for all politicians in USA and Europe as the book has opened eyes concerning Pakistan's involvement in promotion of terrorism. The author Syed Jamaluddin has correctly pointed out that by dividing Pakistan, the terrorist network can be destructed and vanished permanently. I fully agree with Syed Jamaluddin when he argues to divide Pakistan by forming 5 or 6 new states in South Asia. Syed Jamaluddin is the first person who started the debate about Pakistan' disintegration in November 2006 by writing this great book. Now, everybody is saying the same thing all over the world. My appreciation for Syed Jamaluddin. If Pakistan finally disintegrates, I guess Syed Jamaluddin should be awarded NOBEL PEACE PRIZE.

Posted by: Robert B. Vekich | Apr 28, 2008 9:40:07 PM

What I am saying is very simple. Urdu-speaking people living in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur and other cities in the province of Sindh (Pakistan) deserve their own country. An independent country for Urdu-speaking people will solve their economic problems on one hand and provide an environment of freedom from the military dictatorship of Punjab province on the other. Time has now come that the cruel domination of Punjab must end by all means. The Punjabi military has been ruling Pakistan ever since its inception. The Urdu-speaking great leaders who had struggled for the freedom of Pakistan were brutally murdered as part of the Punjabi conspiracy to hijack the country. It has become inevitable now that Punjab should no longer be given the right or power to continue its control on other smaller provinces of Pakistan. At least Sindhis, Pathans and Balochis have some of their regional identities but the Urdu-speaking people have been compelled to become Sindhis which is not possible. Urdu-speaking people have their own identity and worth. It is not possible for Urdu-speaking people to become part of Sindh. This attempt to make Urdu-speaking people part of Sindh has always failed. This fact that Urdu-speaking people are independent in their thinking and are able to represent themselves more effectively if they are independent, should be accepted and recognized by the whole world.

Posted by: Lere Ayanwola | Sep 23, 2008 10:31:34 AM

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