Pakistan denies Kabul bomb link

The embassy attack in Kabul killed more than 50 people

Pakistan’s government has denied that its spy service, the ISI, was involved in last month’s deadly bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul.

Government spokeswoman Sherry Rehman was responding to media reports that Taleban sympathisers within the ISI had helped in the deadly attack.

She also said there would be no purge of the ISI.

This appeared to directly contradict an earlier statement which she made to the AP news agency.

Ms Rehman had been quoted as saying: “Years of backing an anti-Soviet jihad has left its mark.

It was in the past during the Soviet jihad that a few pro-Taleban elements had found their way in, and with the change in policy have been firmly been rooted out Sherry Rehman, government spokeswoman Spies challenge government

“There are probably still individuals within the ISI who are ideologically sympathetic to the Taleban and act on their own in ways that are not in convergence with the policies and interests of the government of Pakistan.

“We need to identify these people and weed them out.”

However, Ms Rehman later said that she had been quoted out of context by the news agency.

Speaking shortly afterwards to the BBC Urdu service, she said: “There is no question of any purge in the ISI.

“The government has already stated that there are no links or evidence of ISI involvement in the Kabul bombing. It was in the past during the Soviet jihad that a few pro-Taleban elements had found their way in, and with the change in policy have been firmly been rooted out.”

The BBC contacted Pakistan’s army spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas but he would not respond to Ms Rehman’s comments.

US allegations

Other Pakistani officials roundly rejected any ISI involvement in the Kabul blast.

“It’s rubbish. We totally deny it,” foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Sadiq told AFP.

The embassy attack was the bloodiest in Kabul since 2001

When asked about the allegations as he attended a South Asian summit in Sri Lanka, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi also said it was “rubbish”.

The BBC’s M Ilyas Khan in Karachi says that on several occasions in recent weeks Pakistan’s civilian government has embarrassed itself by issuing important orders and statements that it has had to retract within hours.

Last Saturday night it said the ISI would be brought under the control of the interior ministry.

But the decision was revoked within hours, apparently following intervention from the army.

More than 50 people were killed in the embassy blast in Kabul, including two senior Indian diplomats.

It was the bloodiest explosion in the Afghan capital since the Taleban were driven from power in 2001.

US officials had claimed that spies in the ISI had helped plan the suicide attack.

The allegations – reportedly based on intercepted communications – were made in briefings to the New York Times and the Washington Post.

The New York Times reported that a senior CIA official had visited Pakistan last month to confront Islamabad over links between the ISI and Islamic extremists.

KHAR, Pakistan – Pakistani forces bombed dozens of houses in a tribal region near the Afghan border Sunday, officials and witnesses said, amid reports that days of clashes have killed at least 100 insurgents and nine paramilitary troops.

Details have been scarce about the military offensive in Bajur, an insurgent stronghold considered a possible hiding place for al-Qaida leaders Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri.

Sardar Khan, a local police official, said two spells of aerial bombing destroyed about 40 houses in several villages. He said bombs also struck a school occupied by Taliban fighters in Loi Sam, a village that has been a key focus of the fighting.

Two area residents, Sher Zamin and Attaullah Khan, said army planes and helicopters dropped bombs and shells, apparently on suspected Taliban positions.

Meanwhile, an Associated Press reporter in Khar, the main town in Bajur, saw Taliban militants patrolling and staking out positions on roads with rocket launchers, heavy machine guns and, in some places, anti-aircraft guns.

Pakistan is under U.S. pressure to crack down on militants in its tribal areas, from where they launch attacks on government and NATO forces in Afghanistan. The Bajur offensive came in the wake of a militant assault Wednesday on an outpost manned by security forces. Officials said those initial clashes killed 25 militants and two troops.

Conflicting casualty figures were reported Sunday.

A paramilitary Frontier Corps statement said nine troops and at least 100 militants were killed in the last four days. But a military intelligence official placed the number of troops dead at 13. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Maulvi Umar, a Pakistani Taliban spokesman, claimed the militants had handed over 22 bodies belonging to security forces in the last three days after pleas from tribal elders.

April 26 in W TX.

May 31 in S OK.

June 14th in the Texas Panhandle. Along with Jay McCoy, we witnessed a landspout that did some damage in Claude. They weakend though later and left me with a spectacular sunset. Even non-severe storms out here on the caprock can be awesome. Solo chase.

June 15th in the Oklahoma Panhandle. The “Festival Of Vortices” supercell. I hope to get some video clips of this event loaded soon. Lots of streaming video to NWS AMA. Solo chase.

June 19th in the Texas Panhandle. Incredible storm structure! Solo chase.

June 20th in the Texas Panhandle. Solo chase.

posted by Steve Miller TX at 7/15/2008 10:08:00 PM

As if the floodwaters from Hurricane Dolly weren’t bad enough in South Texas, throw in some nasty little critters to make it even worse. Only in Texas.

Hurricane Dolly made landfall this afternoon, with the eye very close to my uncle’s house in Arroyo City, TX. He still had power at around 11 a.m., but

Then some lightning shots along with mammatus visible at night thanks to the city lights!

Hurricane Dolly made landfall this afternoon, with the eye very close to my uncle’s house in Arroyo City, TX. He still had power at around 11 a.m., but my grandfather who lives a few miles NW of Rancho Viejo, TX did not as of 5 a.m