Taliban and al-Qaeda leaders Mullah Mohammad Omar and Osama bin Laden are hiding in Pakistan with their top commanders, a senior US administration official said - a charge vehemently denied by Pakistani officials.
The US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Friday that their presence poses a “huge challenge” to the security of both Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan.
“There is no question that the iconic leaders of al-Qaeda - (Ayman al-) Zawahiri, bin Laden ... are in the tribal areas of Pakistan,” the senior official told reporters at a media briefing in Washington.
“We believe that the Taliban’s shura (consultation) council leaders led by Mullah Omar reside in Quetta in Pakistan,” he said, referring to the capital of rugged Baluchistan province bordering Afghanistan. The sanctuaries were not only helping Taliban fight the insurgency against Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s administration, which is backed by US and NATO troops, but also posed a “threat beyond Central Asia to the extent that al-Qaeda has reach,” the official said.
‘Baseless’
Pakistan on Saturday dismissed the assertions. “The claim by an unnamed official is baseless,” said foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Sadiq. Islamabad would take action if the US provided it with intelligence to support the statement, Sadiq said.
The US official made the comments as US Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen was in Pakistan for talks with top military officials believed to focus on counter-terrorism.
