Pakistan’s spy agency still aiding Afghan Taliban: Krishna

October 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) spy agency may "have lost enormous control over" some terror outfits that it backed "to gain leverage in Pakistan's efforts to wrest Kashmir away from India", the Washington Times said Monday. Although US drone attacks in the tribal belt in Pakistan's northwest have been increasingly successful, militants once supported by the Pakistani spy agency ISI are helping Al Qaeda recruit new operatives, the US daily said citing an unnamed US defence official.

October 11th, 2009 KABUL - The Afghan troops have captured a Taliban spokesman during an operation in the country's Herat province, the Online news agency reported Sunday citing the army. Taliban spokesman Bashir Qinaat and four of his associates were captured in Gazara district of the province, Afghan army spokesman Abdul Basir Ghori said.

October 9th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Although the Taliban has claimed responsibility for Thursday's suicide car blast outside the Indian Embassy in Kabul that killed 17 people, Pakistan intelligence agency ISI's involvement in the attack cannot be ruled out. In July of 2008, militants rammed the same embassy with a car bomb that killed 60 people.

October 8th, 2009 Taliban claim Afghan bomb, say embassy was target KABUL — The Taliban have claimed responsibility for Thursday's suicide car bomb in the Afghan capital, saying their target was the Indian Embassy. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in a statement posted on the group's Web site that the attacker was an Afghan man who blew up his a sporty utility vehicle laden with explosives just outside the embassy.

September 24th, 2009 NEW DELHI - India Thursday clarified that the External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna did not advocate a political settlement with Taliban, stressing that the country's Afghan policy had not changed direction.

September 23rd, 2009 NEW YORK/NEW DELHI - With the results of the Afghan elections still uncertain, India has pitched in for a "political settlement" by the Afghan people in the war-ravaged nation and warned about the continuing links between Pakistani spy agency ISI and the Afghan Taliban. India's growing influence in Afghanistan, however, came in for a close scrutiny from General Stanley McChrystal, commander of the US and coalition forces in Afghanistan, who cautioned in an internal report to Pentagon that it cold "exacerbate" regional tensions and encourage Pakistani "counter-measures" in Afghanistan or India.

September 22nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - New Delhi has charged that Islamabad's disruptive role in the Taliban insurgency alongwith aid for the Afghan Taliban provided by Pakistan's spy agency has complicated the military situation in Afghanistan, with India's foreign minister asserting "they are still together". "They are a tandem," External Affairs Minister S.M.

July 27th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Visiting Afghanistan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta Monday rubbished Islamabad's allegation that India was backing the Balochistan insurgency in Pakistan. "This is not a new claim by Pakistan," he said, adding: "But we need to have closer relation against international terrorism in our region." Spanta said this during his talks with Indian External Affairs Minister S.M.

July 23rd, 2009 PHUKET - Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi were in this Thai island resort for Asias security forum meeting, but they just exchanged greetings and left bilateral talks for their interaction on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in September.

July 23rd, 2009 ON BOARD SPECIAL AIRCRAFT - Union Minister for External Affairs SM Krishna on Thursday said that Pakistan should show the same force in fighting anti-India terrorists and organisations in the same manner as it has done in fighting Taliban and other militant organisations in Swat. "Pakistan has taken certain steps in fighting Taliban in Swat and we expect that Pakistan should go after the Talibans who are directed against India with the same force that they have been going after Taliban in Swat.

June 24th, 2009 KABUL - Afghan troops killed 23 Taliban fighters in Uruzgan province, a senior military commander said Wednesday. "Acting upon intelligence report, Afghan troops backed by the US-led Coalition forces pounded Taliban militants in Chinartook area, killing 23 rebels including their commander Mullah Ismael Kuchi," commander of Afghan Corps in the region General Shir Mohammad Zazi told Xinhua.

May 29th, 2009 BANGALORE - External Affairs minister S.M.Krishna on Friday said that peace process with Pakistan could only resume if Pakistan dismantled terror aiding set-ups functioning on its soil. Addressing media persons here, Krishna said Pakistan is expected to take certain step to show India and the rest of the world that it is actually serious about fighting terrorism.

May 18th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Allaying fears that the Pakistani nuclear arsenal might fall into the hands of the Taliban, Interior Minister Rehman Malik Monday said: 'If we can make nuclear assets, we can also secure them'. Anti-Pakistan forces are using the Taliban to destabilise the country, he told reporters after visiting a relief camp in Mardan in North West Frontier Province (NWFP).

February 24th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - A Taliban commander in Pakistan's tribal region Bajaur has announced a unilateral ceasefire, a television channel reported Tuesday. Maulana Faqir Mohammad, a local Taliban leader in Bajaur tribal agency, has made the announcement on the radio, Dawn News TV channel quoted sources as saying.

February 15th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - At least 30 people were killed Monday when missiles fired from a US drone (pilotless aircraft) hit a training camp of Taliban militants in Pakistan's northwestern Orakzai tribal agency, a media report said. Four missiles hit the camp where Pakistani and Afghan Taliban militants receive training, the News Network International (NNI) news agency said.