Rapport britannique sur l'implication de l'ISI dans les combats en Afghanistan

Petit résumé :

Rédigé par un fonctionnaire du service de renseignement extérieur MI6 après une mission au Pakistan en juin, et cité par la BBC, le texte affirmait que «l'armée pakistanaise combat le terrorisme et en même temps (...) soutient indirectement les talibans à travers l'ISI»[1].

Le rapport suggère le démantèlement de l’ISI, de libres élections au Pakistan et le départ –ou renversement- du président pakistanais.

Pervez Musharraf a immédiatement réfuté ces accusations dans un entretien à la BBC. Multipliant les démentis, et rappelant que l’ISI qui, certes, avait formé puis soutenu les talibans, avait été purgé de ses éléments islamistes depuis septembre 2001, il a notamment déclaré que «l’ISI est un service discipliné qui est en train de briser al-Qaïda (…) Le Pakistan est votre principal allié. Si nous n’étions pas avec vous, vous n’arriveriez à rien. Et si l’ISI n’est pas avec vous, vous échouerez. Rappelez-vous ça. Si l’ISI n’est pas avec vous et si le Pakistan n’est pas avec vous, vous perdrez en Afghanistan.»

Il a néanmoins concédé qu’il avait été informé «que certains dissidents, des retraités qui étaient au premier plan dans l’ISI pendant la période 1979-1989 pourraient avoir apporté une aide du fait de leurs liens anciens». Avant de promettre: «Nous maintenons une surveillance très étroite et nous mettrons la main sur eux si cela se vérifie». Le Premier ministre britannique, Tony Blair, a ensuite tenu à l'assurer que le rapport du MI6 ne reflétait pas la position de son pays vis-à-vis du Pakistan, toujours considéré comme un allié essentiel[2].

Annexes :

Figaro

29 septembre

Un rapport britannique dénonce le double jeu des services pakistanais dans la lutte contre le terrorisme.

APRÈS UNE SEMAINE tendue aux États-Unis, le président pakistanais est arrivé à Londres en position d'accusé, contraint de défendre la réputation de ses services secrets, mise à mal par un rapport d'un membre du MI6, les services secrets britanniques extérieurs.

Avant même de quitter New York pour Londres, où il a rencontré hier soir Tony Blair, le président Musharraf n'a pas caché sa fureur. A peine arrivé, il a découvert sur la BBC un rapport notamment rédigé par un membre des services britanniques de renseignements extérieurs, qui avait séjourné en juin dernier au Pakistan. Ce rapport accuse notamment Islamabad de «soutenir indirectement, à travers les services secrets pakistanais (ISI), le terrorisme et l'extrémisme que ce soit à Londres (lors des attentats) le 7 juillet 2005, en Afghanistan ou en Irak», et appelle au démantèlement de l'ISI. Au moins deux des quatre terroristes qui avaient tué 52 personnes lors des attentats suicides dans les transports publics londoniens s'étaient rendus peu de temps avant au Pakistan. Le rapport, rédigé pour un groupe de réflexion du ministère de la Défense (MOD), suggère également que le soutien de Londres à Musharraf doit être réévalué, le Pakistan se trouvant «sur le point de basculer dans le chaos».

Sunday herald

Neil Mackay

The British leak came from the Defence Academy, a think-tank for the UK’s Ministry of Defence. Written by a naval commander, it was a distillation of thinking from within the military and intelligence services. Its key finding reads: “The war in Iraq … has acted as a recruiting sergeant for extremists across the Muslim world … The al-Qaeda ideology has taken root within the Muslim world and Muslim populations within Western countries. Iraq has served to radicalise an already disillusioned youth and al-Qaeda has given them the will, intent, purpose and ideology to act.”

It goes on to say that “the wars in Afghanistan and particularly Iraq have not gone well and are progressing slowly towards an as yet unspecified and uncertain result.” So bad is the situation, that military brass want to pull out of Iraq so they can attempt to win the fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The paper says: “British armed forces are effectively held hostage in Iraq following the failure of the deal being attempted by the chief of staff to extricate UK armed forces from Iraq on the basis of doing Afghanistan , and are now fighting and are arguably losing, or potentially losing, on two fronts.”

The West is “in a fix”, the report says, adding that the British government sent its troops into Afghanistan “with its eyes closed”. Senior British military commanders are now at loggerheads with their political masters over their desire to get British troops out of Iraq and into Afghanistan. For the time being, their efforts have been knocked down by the government. Troop levels will remain unchanged in Iraq for at least six months, although there have been hints that there might be a reduction in the British deployment to Iraq around the same time that Tony Blair leaves office.

Next, the leaked British intelligence paper went on to attack Pakistan, saying: “The army’s dual role in combating terrorism and at the same time promoting the MMA [the hardline Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal, a coalition of religious parties], and so indirectly supporting the Taliban through the ISI, is coming under closer and closer international scrutiny … Indirectly, Pakistan, through the ISI, has been supporting terrorism and extremism .”

Some of the British suicide bombers who attacked the London transport system in July of last year had visited Pakistan. Other British-born Muslims have travelled to training camps in Pakistan. There have been allegations that members of the Pakistani intelligence services provided military lessons at such camps.

Musharraf has hit back at such claims, saying that the London bombers were radicalised in Britain. “Let us not absolve the United Kingdom from their responsibilities,” he said. “Youngsters who are 25, 30 years old, and who happen to come to Pakistan for a month or two, and you put the entire blame on these two months of visit to Pakistan and don’t talk about the 27 years or whatever they are suffering in your country.”

Musharraf tackled Tony Blair about the leaked report and its interpretation during a meeting on Thursday. The document also describes the British policy of supporting President Musharraf as flawed because Pakistan is “on the edge of chaos”. It goes on to say that links between the British and Pakistan armies at a senior level should be exploited to persuade Musharraf to stand down, accept free elections and disband the ISI.

MoD attempts to play down the leaked intelligence report were limp. The Ministry said that the paper was just reporting the views of a variety of key personnel. However, as one senior military source said: “ It is indeed the view of those in the military and in the intelligence and security services that Iraq was a mistake and that we need to concentrate on Afghanistan.” The officer also said that it was “common knowledge – and had been for years” that the Pakistani intelligence service had aided the Taliban long before 9/11.

The MoD said that Pakistan was considered “a key ally in our efforts to combat international terrorism”. Officials added that Pakistan’s security forces had made “considerable sacrifices in tackling al-Qaeda and the Taliban”. Britain was also “working closely with Pakistan to tackle the root causes of terrorism ”.

Musharraf angrily attacked claims made about the ISI in the British intelligence paper. “I totally, 200%, reject it … ISI is a disciplined force, breaking the back of al-Qaeda. Getting 680 [al-Qaeda suspects in custody] would not have been possible if our ISI was not doing an excellent job.”

[1] Le monde, 29 septembre ; AFP, 29 septembre.

[2] Idem.