Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Pakistani army officer detained for militant links

Authorities detained a senior officer serving at Pakistani army headquarters for suspected links with a banned militant group, the army spokesman said Tuesday.
The announcement could be an attempt by the military to counter Western suspicions that it tolerates militant sympathisers within its ranks.
Western officials have long suspected some Pakistani military officials, especially ones serving in the army's powerful intelligence agency, of maintaining ties with militant groups like the Taleban and al-Qaida.
Those suspicions have spiked in the wake of last month's US raid that killed al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in an army town not far from the Pakistani capital.