Former Afghan spy chief says Pakistan greater US enemy than al Qaeda

Washington, May 3(ANI): The United States' greatest enemy in the Af-Pak region is not al Qaeda, but Pakistan, Afghanistan's former spy chief Amrullah Saleh has said.

Saleh, who has been the Central Intelligence Agency's lead source on Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden for years, said in a CBS News interview that the title of 'ally' given to Pakistan is 'deceptive'.

When asked what title should Pakistan be given, he said: "It should be a hostile country, a hostile state."

On being questioned whether Pakistan is the enemy of the United States, Saleh replied: "The amount of pain Pakistan has inflicted upon the United States in the past 12 years is unprecedented. No other country has inflicted that amount of pain upon your nation."

That pain is Pakistan's long-term support for al Qaeda and its allies battling U.S. forces in Afghanistan, the report said.

On Monday, the president's counterterrorism chief also seemed to point the finger at Pakistan after Bin Laden, who had evaded capture for a decade, was killed Sunday night in a top secret operation involving a small team of US Special Forces in Pakistan's Abbottabad city.

"I think it's inconceivable that bin Laden did not have a support system in the country that allowed him to remain there for an extended period of time," White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan told reporters.

That was more blunt than Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's carefully worded statement, which seemed mindful of the fact that the US still needs Pakistan's help in the war on terror.

"Our partnerships, including our close cooperation with Pakistan, have helped put unprecedented pressure on al Qaeda and its leadership," Clinton said.

That talk of continued co-operation hints at what one top US counterterrorism official said, that they are closely watching Pakistan to see who they will cough up now that the heat is on them, the report said.

The US no doubt has an eye on al Qaeda's No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, who are both believed to be protected inside Pakistan, along with a number of other significant leaders. (ANI)