rssWhat’s the Elite Interrogation Team for If Not Baradar?
Friday, February 26, 2010 at 3:10 pm
- 2 Comments
[F]ive U.S. officials, who asked for anonymity when discussing sensitive information, tell Declassified that the HIG—which the Obama administration has billed as a less-controversial alternative to the Bush administration’s use of secret CIA prisons and “enhanced” interrogation techniques that human rights advocates had described as torture—is not being deployed to participate in the questioning of Mullah Baradar. Some of the officials say they find this puzzling, since Baradar, who before his capture served as the Afghan Taliban’s top military commander, is widely believed to possess information that might be very useful to U.S. and allied forces fighting his Taliban comrades in Afghanistan.
So the U.S. now has access to the deputy Taliban commander, captured in Pakistan, but it’s not sending its elite team of interrogators, the High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group? Who’s more high-value a detainee?
There’s a benign explanation that Hosenball doesn’t consider — probably for good reason! — and that’s that Baradar isn’t so much of an intelligence resource as he is a diplomatic bargaining chip to compel the Afghan Taliban to talk terms with the Karzai government (in a manner favorable to Pakistani interests). Is that likely? No idea. (Other Afghan Taliban arrests have already been credited to information from Baradar, but that’s still theoretically commensurate with the Baradar-as-diplomatic-tool explanation.) Either way: I no longer have any clarity on what the HIG is for.
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2 Comments
Comment posted February 27, 2010 @ 12:58 pm
I imagine the big reason is that Pakistan feels the absolute need to control Baradar's interrogation. Since its all but plainly obvious that, regardless of their current incredibly helpful stance, it wasn't all that long ago Baradar was a major Pakistani intelligence asset and source of 'strategic depth.' They don't want the gory details on the front page of the NYT.
Regardless, its pretty clear that his capture has resulted in further successes against both the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Again, we hear that up to HALF of the Quetta Shura Council is behind bars, one of Osama's inner circle was nabbed in Karachi, and the drones have reportedly offed an Al Qaeda operative so big that it drew out one of the Haqqanis to the funeral (who was then also capped.) Plus a drone strike reportedly, not entirely confirmed, killing Qari Zafar, one of the State Department's most wanted behind a years-long terror campaign in Karachi.
Don't eff with a winning streak I always say…
Comment posted February 27, 2010 @ 5:58 pm
I imagine the big reason is that Pakistan feels the absolute need to control Baradar's interrogation. Since its all but plainly obvious that, regardless of their current incredibly helpful stance, it wasn't all that long ago Baradar was a major Pakistani intelligence asset and source of 'strategic depth.' They don't want the gory details on the front page of the NYT.
Regardless, its pretty clear that his capture has resulted in further successes against both the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Again, we hear that up to HALF of the Quetta Shura Council is behind bars, one of Osama's inner circle was nabbed in Karachi, and the drones have reportedly offed an Al Qaeda operative so big that it drew out one of the Haqqanis to the funeral (who was then also capped.) Plus a drone strike reportedly, not entirely confirmed, killing Qari Zafar, one of the State Department's most wanted behind a years-long terror campaign in Karachi.
Don't eff with a winning streak I always say…
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