Word: isis
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...Since Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf threw in his lot with the U.S. after Sept. 11, he has been wrestling to gain control over the 10,000-strong ISI. Transforming the organization from one that abetted Islamic militancy to one that combats it is fundamental to both Musharraf and the U.S. But it's a daunting task. Even by the shadowy standards of spy agencies, the ISI is notorious. It is commonly branded "a state within the state," or Pakistan's "invisible government." It has sponsored Muslim rebels in Indian-held Kashmir, and propped up the Taliban and by extension...
...preliminary signs are that Musharraf, despite many obstacles, is actually succeeding in taming the ISI. He has put trusted men into key antiterrorism posts, and the ISI's field agents around the country are carrying out their new orders. Says one Western diplomat: "There are no rogue elements in the ISI. The discipline's too strict for that...
...forces never turned up. Instead, a car with diplomatic plates full of Taliban roared up to the Peshwar house, grabbed al-Khadir and drove him over the Khyber Pass to safety in Afghanistan?beyond the Egyptians' grasp. Put bluntly, the Pakistani spy agency, known as the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), had betrayed the Egyptians. "The next day, the ISI called up and said, 'So sorry, the man gave us the slip,'" a diplomat recalls...
...These days, what the ISI does and does not do is more critical than ever. Intelligence sources in Islamabad say that hundreds of al-Qaeda operatives are still hiding in Pakistan. To hunt them down, American investigators need the ISI. Last week, according to tribal elders, about 40 U.S. commandos set up base in the Pakistani tribal town of Miramshah near the frontier with Afghanistan, following intelligence reports that bin Laden might be holed up nearby. Officially, Pakistan denies that U.S. special forces crossed into its tribal borderlands. Whether American troops are on the ground or not, Washington must depend...
...Meanwhile, Musharraf must also resolve some knotty issues that go beyond the hunt for bin Laden. To ensure Pakistan's stability, he must rely on the ISI to crack down on sectarian extremists, who have killed more than 70 people this year. Yet elements in the agency are believed to have maintained shady connections with these groups. Then there's the matter of the Pakistani leader's own survival. Many Pakistanis are angry with America these days, over the civilian bombing casualties in Afghanistan and Washington's support of Israel in its conflict with the Palestinians, who like most Pakistanis...