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Report: Diplomatic Cables Show US Special Ops Embedded With Pakistan Troops

   VOA News  May 21, 2011

   A Pakistani newspaper has published more leaked U.S. diplomatic cables,
   revealing that U.S. special operations forces were apparently embedded
   with Pakistani troops for intelligence gathering in 2009.
   The English-language Dawn newspaper on Saturday reported that then-U.S.
   Ambassador to Pakistan Anne Patterson wrote to Washington that
   Islamabad had begun to accept intelligence, surveillance and
   reconnaissance support from the U.S. military for counterinsurgency
   operations.
   According to the cables obtained by WikiLeaks, U.S. special forces
   eventually were embedded with the Pakistani military in the field, and
   the two countries opened what were termed "intelligence fusion
   centers."
   The Pakistani military did not immediately comment on the latest
   report.
   A day earlier, Dawn reported that other leaked U.S. diplomatic cables
   showed that Pakistan's top military leader allegedly had asked
   Washington for "continuous" coverage from unmanned drone aircraft over
   the tribal areas known as strongholds for militants. It is not clear
   whether the unmanned aircraft were for surveillance or for firing
   missiles.
   The Pakistani military issued a statement Friday, saying it had never
   requested armed drones to aid in its operations.
   The Pakistani public shares strong anti-American feelings, in part
   because of U.S. drone strikes on militants. The Pakistani government
   complains publicly that the missile strikes - which reportedly have
   killed civilians - are a violation of the country's sovereignty.
   The relationship between the two countries also became more complicated
   when the U.S. killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden during a covert
   raid deep inside Pakistan without that country's participation.

   Some information for this report was provided by Reuters.

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