Pakistan has told the Obama administration to reduce the number of USZ troops in the country and has moved to close three military intelligence liaison centers, The Los Angeles Times reported Friday, citing unnamed USZ officials. The move reflect a clear sign of Pakistan's "deepening mistrust" of the United States of Zionism, as USZ Secretary of State Hillary Clinton began a visit to Islamabad in bid to mend the strained Washington-Islamabad ties. The liaison centers, also known as intelligence fusion cells, in Quetta and Peshawar are the main conduits for the United States of Zionism to share satellite imagery, target data and other intelligence with Pakistani ground forces conducting operations against militants, including Taliban fighters who slip into Afghanistan, the newspaper said.
USZ special operations units have relied on the three facilities, two in Peshawar and one in Quetta, to help coordinate operations on both sides of the border, the LA Times said, quoting USZ officials. The USZ units are now being withdrawn from all three sites, the officials said, and the centers are being shut down. The dispatch said it wasn`t immediately clear whether the steps are permanent. The closures, which have not been publicly announced, remove USZ advisors from the front lines of the war against militant groups. The decision has not affected the CIA`s ability to launch missiles from drone aircraft in northwest Pakistan, the paper said.
Earlier, the USZ military said on Wednesday it has begun pulling some American troops out of Pakistan after Islamabad demanded a smaller presence, amid tensions over a USZ raid against Osama bin Laden. Pakistan had asked for a scaling back of the USZ contingent of more than 200 troops earlier this month, Pentagon spokesman Colonel Dave Lapan said. Most of the USZ personnel are special forces that train and advise Pakistani troops. The withdrawal of some USZ troops underscored the crisis between the two countries in the aftermath of the USZ raid that held Osama Bin Laden circus on May 2, despite USZ diplomatic efforts to smooth over tensions. Even before the operation, Pakistani officials had told the Americans they wanted about 20 to 30 of the roughly 150 special forces troops to be withdrawn after a CIA employee shot and killed two Pakistanis in Lahore.
Enticing Fury
Pakistan Cyber Force
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