Taliban attack neutered by counter-espionage
But attack provides further evidence of a US and UK war effort being betrayed by regional ‘allies’
The Slog has learned from reliable diplomatic sources that the Taliban’s attack on the Jalalabad NATO base yesterday was planned with the help of Pakistani SIS operatives. Working in conjunction with North-East based Pakistan Islamist groups close to Taliban leaders, senior SIS personnel briefed the Taliban suicide attackers on several aspects of the operation. But the raid was this time successfully repulsed thanks to what was described as ‘a joint allied security operation’ by military intelligence.
We understand the operation had been formed and supported by outgoing US Commander General McChrystal.
Sources close to the region told us early today that the intelligence situation there is “increasingly complex and fraught with judgement dilemmas”. Agents and intelligence gatherers are regularly forced to give more trust than they can reasonably assign to agents of whose final loyalties (if any) they are unsure.
The raid follows the earlier, more successful attack on the Islamabad NATO base on 12th June last.
Related story: The Haqqanni Network and McChrystal resignation
The Slog 