Monday, May 9, 2011

Pakistan Media Outs CIA's Top Agent in Islamabad

The White House declined to comment today specifically on a Pakistani TV station and newspaper identifying the CIA station chief for Islamabad, but in general said the U.S. intends to continue to pursue a working relationship with Pakistan.

The Pakistani spy agency, the Inter Services Intelligence Directorate,  is believed to be the culprit that leaked the name of the top U.S. CIA agent as payback for the U.S. hit on Osama bin Laden.

"The cooperation that we've had with Pakistan has been important for years now in our fight against terrorism and terrorists, and more terrorists have been killed on Pakistani soil, because of that cooperation, than anywhere else in the world. And that's important to note; which is not to say we don't have our differences, because we do. We obviously do. And those differences are frequently aired," said White House spokesman Jay Carney.

"But the fact of the matter is that that relationship important. The cooperation continues to be important for the United States in order to pursue Al Qaeda and other terrorists as the war continues after the death of bin Laden," Carney added.

It was the second time in five months that  Pakistani authorities have outed the CIA station chief in Islamabad to Pakistani news media. The name was mention on Pakistani TV station ARY, and was then picked up by the right-wing newspaper, Nation, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani denied today that the ISI  helped hide bin Laden or was incompetent in tracking him to the compound in Abbottabad where he lived for an estimated five years before Navy SEALS killed him a week ago yesterday.

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