Pakistan Sting Foiled by Jumpy Ally

During World War II, the great Anglo-American alliance was hardly all brotherly love. To the Brits, the Yanks were "over-paid, over-sexed and over here." And some pro-Nazis like Joseph Kennedy claimed the British would fight to the last American. So, it should come as no surprise that the American Pakistani alliance in the war on terror has the odd rough patch. Washington believes there is too much sympathy in Pakistan for mass murderer Usama bin Laden. And in Pakistan, they have to wonder which side claims the loyalty of the Bush administration after Tom Ridge and the American press blew the successful penetration of Al-Qaeda by Pakistan.

Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan, a 25-year-old Pakistani computer whiz kid, was busted by Pakistani security back in July, and they managed to turn him. This successful penetration of Al-Qaeda is precisely the way the Americans and their allies must operate to win (in as much as that is possible) the war on terror. And so what did the American administration do about this mole in the enemy's camp? Officials in the Bush administration disclosed Mr. Khan's name "on background" to reporters as part of Tom Ridge's press conference in which he cried "Wolf!" The reporters duly wrote up the story, using the guy's name. Bang, the whole deal is blown.

The Pakistani officials who have spoken to the press have been polite. Rather than say that the American government should have kept its collective trap shut, they have merely said that Pakistan's "coalition partners" should look into how non-Pakistani journalist got hold of "classified information" concerning Mr. Khan's arrest in Lahore.

Before his cover was blown, Mr. Khan led Pakistani security to Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani (bounty $25 million of his part in the 1998 embassy bombings in east Africa), and about 20 other Al-Qaeda members. So, clearly, Pakistan is not making up the story of turning Mr. Khan. His usefulness is now at an end, and his life is probably not worth very much if he stays in that part of the world.

National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice denied any White House wrong doing, telling CNN, "We did not, of course, publicly disclose his name." Technically true, but someone in government told the press, and the job of the press in the US is to tell the public. Some will say that the announcement was politically driven, but it is more likely that this was a case of carelessness. Neither interpretation, though, reflects well on Washington.


© Copyright 2004 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent.


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