Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Panetta to be Defence Secretary, Petraeus to head CIA
There is to be a reshuffle at the highest levels of the Obama administration with CIA chief Leon Panetta flagged as the successor to Defence Secretary Robert Gates and commander of the coalition forces in Afghanistan General David Petraeus identified as the man to fill Mr. Panetta's shoes at the United States' spy agency.
Mr. Panetta will be taking over a challenging role at a time of unprecedented belt-tightening by the U.S. military. General Petraeus' departure is also striking in terms of its timing, as the Obama administration is poised to wind down military operations in Afghanistan starting this July.
Media quoting unnamed sources also said Deputy Commander of U.S. Central Command Lieutenant-General John Allen would replace General Petraeus in Afghanistan and veteran diplomat Ryan Crocker was likely to be the next U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan.
Mr. Gates, who was an appointee of the former President, George W. Bush, has held the Pentagon's top job since late 2006. He helped lead two major military engagements of the U.S. — in Afghanistan and Iraq.
President Barack Obama appointed General Petraeus to lead International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan last year after Stanley McChrystal quit following controversial critical comments on civilian leadership of the war effort.
If confirmed by the Senate, Mr. Panetta will take over from Mr. Gates on June 30.
Labels: Barack Obama administration, Gen Petraeus, Leon Panetta, President Barack Obama, reshuffle, U.S.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
U.S. confirms Pakistan arrests
From The Hindu
The State Department on Friday confirmed that arrests had been made in Pakistan relating to the case of Faisal Shahzad, the Times Square bomber currently in custody in the United States.
“There have been some arrests in Pakistan,” Philip Crowley, State Department spokesman, said, in response to a question on the arrest of an army general in Pakistan. The general was allegedly arrested on the charge of withholding information regarding Mr. Shahzad from the authorities.
At a briefing Mr. Crowley also noted, “We just had a high-level visit to Pakistan by General Jones, the National Security Advisor, and Leon Panetta, the CIA Director. We are satisfied with the cooperation that we are receiving with Pakistan in this investigation.”
However he added that regarding the specifics of any arrests that took place, he would have to defer to the Government of Pakistan. In particular Mr. Crowley remained non-committal about recent news that the U.S. embassy in Pakistan sent out about avoiding a local catering company that might have ties to the Taliban.
Labels: catering company, Faisal Shahzad, Hanif Rajput catering, Leon Panetta, Philip Crowley, Taliban, Times Square bomb plot
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Top U.S. intelligence officials in Pakistan for NYC bomb investigation
From The Hindu
The United States has sent two of its top intelligence officials to Pakistan to put greater pressure on its government to investigate the Pakistani connection to the failed Times Square bomb plot of May 2.
In the clearest indication of deep concern in the U.S. over the link between would-be bomber Faisal Shahzad and terror networks in Pakistan, Central Intelligence Agency Director Leon Panetta and National Security Advisor James L. Jones flew out to Pakistan on Monday night in a bid to speed up the investigation.
According to reports quoting administration officials, Mr. Panetta and Mr. Jones plan to discuss efforts to prevent future terrorist attacks in their meetings there. Reports also cited the U.S. government’s intention to ensure “continued Pakistani cooperation in determining what role the Pakistani Taliban may have played in assisting Faisal Shahzad,” the suspected bomber, who is now in custody and providing intelligence on terror networks in Pakistan to U.S. officials.
In this context, National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer said in an email on Monday night: “In light of the failed Times Square terrorist attack and other terrorist attacks that trace to the border region, we believe that it is time to redouble our efforts with our allies in Pakistan to close this safe haven and create an environment where we and the Pakistani people can lead safe and productive lives.”
In particular, Washington was said to be keen on an aggressive push by Pakistani authorities to take action against al-Qaeda and groups linked to it, located in the tribal areas.
In a report by the New York Times, one senior administration official was quoted as saying that Mr. Jones “would not threaten the Pakistanis, but would convey the risks to the country’s relationship with the U.S. if a deadly terrorist attack originated there.” He would also “prod them” to take tougher steps against the Taliban and other insurgent groups, the official reportedly said.
Labels: Al-Qaeda, CIA, Faisal Shahzad, Leon Panetta, Pakistani terror groups, Times Square bomb
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