Pakistan's most powerful spy agency on Monday lashed out against a trove of leaked US intelligence reports that alleged close connections between it and Taliban militants fighting NATO troops in Afghanistan, calling the accusations malicious and unsubstantiated. The reports, which were released by the online whistle-blower Wikileaks, raised new questions about whether the US can succeed in convincing Pakistan to sever its historical links to the Taliban and deny them sanctuary along the Afghan border actions that many analysts believe are critical for success in Afghanistan. The US has given Pakistan billions in military aid since 2001 to enlist its cooperation. But the leaked reports, which cover a period from January 2004 to December 2009, suggest that current and former officials from Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency have met directly with the Taliban to coordinate attacks in Afghanistan. A senior ISI official denied the allegations, saying they were from raw intelligence reports that had not been verified and were meant to impugn the reputation of the spy agency. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with the agency's policy. In one report, Gul, who has been an outspoken supporter of the Taliban, is alleged to have dispatched three men in December 2006 to carry out attacks in Afghanistan's capital. “Reportedly Gul's final comment to the three individuals was to make the snow warm in Kabul, basically telling them to set Kabul aflame,” said the report. Gul, who appeared multiple times throughout the reports, denied allegations that he was working with the Taliban, saying “these leaked documents against me are fiction and nothing else.” Some of the reports, which were generated by junior intelligence officers, do seem a bit far-fetched. One dispatch from February 2007 claims militants teamed up with the ISI to kill Afghan and NATO forces with poisoned alcohol bought in Pakistan. Husain Haqqani, Pakistan's ambassador to the US, said the documents “do not reflect the current on-ground realities.” White House national security adviser Gen. Jim Jones defended the partnership between the US and Pakistan in a statement Sunday, saying “counterterrorism cooperation has led to significant blows against Al-Qaeda's leadership.” Still, he called on Pakistan to continue its “strategic shift against insurgent groups.”
