PAK Sending LO's to ISAF????

[The Bread Guy]

I can't find ANY other confirmation of this, but thought I'd share it on an "it's out there" basis....

Pakistan joins ISAF in Afghanistan
Hamid Mir, Canadafreepress.com, 31 Aug 06
http://www.canadafreepress.com/2006/mir083106.htm

(....)

"For the first time after 9/11, the Pakistan Army will join International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. The Pakistan Army will provide its officers to be deployed in ISAF Headquarters in Kabul. They will act as liason officers and will also coordinate their actions with the Afghan National Army. This significant development was revealed to me by a senior ISAF Commander in Kabul, Brigadier General N.A.W. Pope who is from the UK. He said that the number and time for the deployment of Pakistan Army officers in the ISAF Headquarters is not yet confirmed" . . . .

(....)

I've found there was a BGen MAW Pope in the UK Military (promoted Dec 05 according to this:
http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk/download.asp?docId=945154 ), can't find any other (public) reference for him serving in AFG.  Reporter's name matches the name of the "last guy to int'view Osama before 9-11".

??????

 

[McG]

It makes sense.  They were conected to OEF and now [with tacking over RC(S)] ISAF is operating on the Pakistan's boarder.

 

[GAP]

Does this not send shudders through those involved in OPSEC. Some of that information is pretty sensitive and the Pak Army has been known to have Taliban sympathies.

 

[Franko]

Does this not send shudders through those involved in OPSEC. Some of that information is pretty sensitive and the Pak Army has been known to have Taliban sympathies.

No doubt precautions will be taken when it involves that stuff.

Regards

 

[KevinB]

A reason we classify some things US eyes only, Cdn eyes only etc.

Mind you sharing stuff with the French and Italians is like taking out a neon billboard
in downtown Kabul...

 

[North Star]

If they're there to help coordinate patrols along the border, share information and intelligence, this is a positive development. Anything that interferes with the Taliban's ability to cross back and forth into Pakistan is a good thing.

 

[KevinB]

If they're there to help coordinate patrols along the border, share information and intelligence, this is a positive development. Anything that interferes with the Taliban's ability to cross back and forth into Pakistan is a good thing.

;D

Co-ordinate alright.
"Mohammed - dont go now, ISAF is there. wait 30 min...."

 

[The Bread Guy]

So young to be so cynical.... 

 

[McG]

Does this not send shudders through those involved in OPSEC.

OEF found ways to make OPSEC work.  Why wouldn't ISAF?

 

[geo]

time will tell.... why speculate :warstory:

 

[Trinity]

time will tell.... why speculate :warstory:

Because... that's what we do here at Army.ca

It's not just a game anymore!!!

 

[fleeingjam]

Between all the relatives and family members I have had in the PAF, and what i know of the current leader of the country im confident they will do what they have to, to prevent the taliban from entering their borders and help the ISAF fish them out in A-stan. I just hope they don't do what they did in 1993 in Rwanda and send alot of officers rather than NCM's.

-I hope i got my facts straight :
-Syed

 

[Mortar guy]

im confident they will do what they have to, to prevent the taliban from entering their borders and help the ISAF fish them out in A-stan.

Hahahahaha. Right, prevent the Taliban from moving from Afghanistan, to Pakistan. Because, as we all know, there are no Taliban in Pakistan and Quetta is not their base.

Sorry about the sarcasm but maybe Pakistan should look at seriously rooting out the Taliban in the NWFP and Balochistan before they start trying to fish out Taliban in Afghanistan. Besides, the latter would not exist if it weren't for the former.

MG

 

[The Bread Guy]

A few more details, albeit from a few days ago - if this is to be believed, it appears a fair bit of high-level stuff has been discussed ......

Tripartite Commission of Pakistan, Afghanistan, Coalition agrees on Patrols
Pakistan Times, 24 Aug 06
http://tinyurl.com/mjevl

Highlights:

KABUL (Afghanistan): The Tripartite Commission, composed of senior military and diplomatic representatives from Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Coalition Forces in Afghanistan, and the NATO International Security Assistance Force, held its 18th meeting here on Wednesday (23 Aug 06).

Delegates included Gen. Ahsan Saleem Hayat, Vice Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army; Gen. Bismullah Khan Mohammedi, Chief of Staff of the Afghan National Army; Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry, commander of Combined Forces Command Afghanistan; and Lt. Gen. David Richards, commander of NATO-ISAF.

(....)

In order to co-ordinate the movements along the border areas, the participants discussed and agreed to a proposal to conduct coordinated patrols by the Afghan National Army, Pakistan Army, Coalition Forces and NATO-ISAF forces based in Afghanistan, on their respective sides of the border, simultaneously.

(...)

The Afghan and Pakistani militaries have improved their ability to conduct operations against their common enemy through better communication, enabled by the use of a geospatial data base and high frequency radios, provided by the United States.

The Military Intelligence-Sharing Working Group briefed about the latest efforts to form a three-way Joint Information Operations Center with Afghan and Pakistani liaison officers and the Coalition Forces in Afghanistan.

The group also discussed the use of secure mobile telephones for intelligence coordination between the Afghan National Army, the Directorate General of (Pakistani) Military Intelligence, the Coalition and NATO-ISAF.

(....)

The Afghan, Pakistani, and Coalition delegations each presented after-action reports from recent operations to deny sanctuary and safe haven to their common enemy, and to improve the lives of the Afghan people through various reconstruction projects and humanitarian assistance.

The delegations also discussed future operations and how they can better shape the security environment along the border area.

(....)
The Tripartite Commission will meet again in October 2006 in Afghanistan.

 

[pbi]

Based on my own experience in 04/05, I am glad to see that Pakistan is making the official gesture, but unfortunately we will need to be careful for at least the first while. Let me say that just because the US had Pak LOs in its HQs does not mean the US opened all the info floodgates and threw discretion to the winds. I think that even the US was well aware of the questionable role and loyalties of some players in Pakistan's ISI, etc. IMHO it is fairly easy to extrapolate these concerns to the Pak Army as well. If ISAF exchanges LOs with the Paks, I would be very interested to see what kind of atmosphere they work in on the Pak side, and how much they actually find out. I bet that we will find that the suspicion is quite mutual.

Cheers

 

[the 48th regulator]

Ahh yes PAKBAT, once again.

They did excel slightly over KENBAT, and JORBAT.  And I do emphasise slightly.

dileas

tess

 

[Teddy Ruxpin]

Does this not send shudders through those involved in OPSEC. Some of that information is pretty sensitive and the Pak Army has been known to have Taliban sympathies.

OEF found ways to make OPSEC work.  Why wouldn't ISAF?

Let me say that just because the US had Pak LOs in its HQs does not mean the US opened all the info floodgates and threw discretion to the winds.

I would be so bold to suggest that ISAF has security "issues" of its own and that adding PAK LOs isn't going to substantially alter the OPSEC situation.  ISAF leaked (leaks?) like a sieve - hardly surprising given the mix of nations involved and the competing interests.  Remember that ISAF contains a number of non-NATO members and that material is downgraded to "just above rumour" before it is released to the force as a whole.

 

[Gunner]

Remember that ISAF contains a number of non-NATO members and that material is downgraded to "just above rumour" before it is released to the force as a whole.

I believe that is referred to as "gossip".

 

[pbi]

Teddy is right. My time with ISAF VI was my first real education of just how many national agendas, including those of supposed "friendly nations", are really at play out there, sometimes in fairly blatant and shocking ways. When you get that "boring" counter-intelligence briefing: stop yawning and pay attention. And watch what you say, and to whom.

Cheers

 

[BEN 621]

Major OPSEC issue.
Have a read of "Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, From The Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001" by Steve Cool. A long read, but very objective & informative.
It sheds a lot of light on Pakistan's interference in Afghanistan and their very real interests in seeing the Taliban succeed. It doesn't cover post 9-11 history, but one can see how Pakistan can still be playing both sides. It is dry at first, and very detailed & complicated, but once you get into it you can't stop reading.