WASHINGTON, Feb 21: Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda network continue to operate from the area that straddles the Durand Line, says the US State Department without specifying whether the alleged Al Qaeda camps are on the Afghan or Pakistan side of the border.“We continue to be concerned about the existence of Al Qaeda’s leadership that’s out there, Osama bin Laden among others,” the department’s deputy spokesman Tom Casey told a briefing in Washington.“And we continue to be concerned as you know, about cross-border activities from Pakistan to Afghanistan,” he added.
Mr Casey was commenting on a New York Times report earlier this week that Al Qaeda leadership has successfully revived the terror network, working from bases in North Waziristan.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry has already dismissed the report as ‘absurd’, noting that in the presence of 80,000 Pakistani troops in the tribal region it was not possible for any group to establish its bases in that area.
NWFP Governor Ali Mohammad Jan Aurakzai also dismissed the report as speculative. “Why should they come here looking for safe havens when the whole of Afghanistan is a safe haven?” he asked.
The State Department’s response, which confirms the presence of Al Qaeda network in the region without blaming Pakistan, conforms to the US policy towards Islamabad.
Reports in the US media say that the State Department recently opposed a Pentagon proposal to launch direct strikes on the alleged Al Qaeda hideouts in Waziristan because it fears that such moves can destabilise the Musharraf government and thus create more problems for Washington in the region.
Last week, President George W. Bush also defended President Gen Pervez Musharraf and his government in a speech he delivered in Washington, saying that he believed both were committed to the US-led war against terrorism.
The administration’s attitude contrasts sharply with that of the Democrat-controlled Congress where Pakistan is often criticised for its alleged support to the Taliban and Al Qaeda militants.The issue of Al Qaeda’s presence in North Waziristan was raised at the State Department briefing by an Indian journalist who was last week rebuked by the White House for giving “a sermon against President Musharraf”.
Mr Casey firmly refused to be dragged into Pakistan bashing. “I think the main point for us has been that we do believe we have good cooperation from the government of Pakistan on counter-terrorism issues,” said the State Department official when asked to comment on Pakistan’s commitment to fighting Osama bin Laden’s network.
He said the United States was working with both Pakistan and Afghanistan to put a stop to cross-border activities of the Taliban and Al Qaeda militants.
“And certainly the hunt for Osama bin Laden and other senior leaders of Al Qaeda continue and through a variety of means and a variety of agencies,” he added.
“We do believe that President Musharraf and his government are committed to fighting terror and to working with us. However, it’s very clear to all of us that we and the government of Pakistan and the government of Afghanistan all need to do more since the problem is out there and it is continuing.”
When the reporter asked him to comment on the North Waziristan agreement, Mr Casey reminded him that last week he heard from the White House on the subject of the agreement when he had raised the issue there.
He also referred to President Bush’s statement a couple of months ago in which he had supported the move for involving local tribesmen in the fight against Al Qaeda.
“I think the president’s words on that … are so far the definitive one. I don’t have an analysis to offer you of that agreement beyond what you’ve already heard,” said the State Department official.
