Friday, February 17, 2017

Admiral Mike Mullens is the best choice for NSA.

Mullen at the Pentagon during the September 11 attacks in 2001

He is second from the right at the table. He was the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs that went to Pakistan and called out the Haqquani network. He knows more about terrorists globally than most.

It would be more than interesting to see him put a domestic picture to his knowledge.

September 23, 2011
By Adam Levine

A Pakistan-based terrorist group (click here) that is actively attacking American troops across the border in Afghanistan is an "arm" of the Pakistani intelligence agency, the top U.S. military officer told Congress on Thursday.

The blunt accusation from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Michael Mullen, reflected the growing impatience of U.S. officials with Pakistan's unwillingness to stop the attacks and the belief that Pakistan is actively supporting the insurgents.

But the recent high profile attacks by insurgents in Afghanistan represent a shift in strategy by the Taliban, who have ceded control of territory in much of the country, the U.S. secretary of defense said Thursday....

Rarely seen in the USA military, Admiral Mullens cultivated relationships between ranking officers in Pakistan. The country is highly unstable because of a tribal region that has yet to be tamed.

Mullen praised Pakistani Army Chief Gen Ashfaq PervezKayani for taking ‘bold steps’ against the insurgents. Kayani and the country’s political leadership face growing demands from Washington to take decisive action against the militants who are alleged to enjoy support from the country’s intelligence service. Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he has gone out of his way to build a rapport with his Pakistani counterpart, General Ashfaq Kayani, speaking to him regularly and holding 10 face-to-face meetings since November 2007.

Osama bin Laden was not found in that tribal region, but, in the back yard of a Pakistan military academy. That makes a great deal of sense once applied to bin Laden's status and claim to 911. 

The Pakistani ISI is as much an enemy of the government, or at least it was, as the enemies within the country. I haven't followed the ISI lately, but, I am sure they are as tenacious today as the past.

The point is Admiral Mullens may still have work to be done. He is extremely knowledgeable to all the players, places and events. He could step into the job today and never miss a beat.

February 17, 2017
By Muhammad Farooq and Adil Jaward

Pakistani forces killed and arrested (click here) dozens of suspects in sweeping raids as the death toll from a massive suicide bombing by the Islamic State group that targeted a famed Sufi shrine the day before rose to 88 on Friday.

The terror attack — Pakistan's deadliest in years — stunned the nation and raised questions about the authorities' ability to rein in militant groups despite several military offensives targeting militant hideouts.

It also threatened to drive a deeper wedge between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Islamabad quickly lashed out at Kabul, saying the bombing was masterminded in militant sanctuaries across the border in Afghanistan.

Underscoring tensions, Pakistan fired a blistering round of artillery shells into Afghan territory on Friday and shut down the Torkham border crossing, a key commercial artery between the two neighbors.

Afghan police chief Gul Agha Roohani in eastern Nangarhar province told The Associated Press the artillery assault began on Friday morning, although there was no immediate confirmation from Pakistan....

Pakistan is the only country left for them to hide. Daesh won't find welcome there either. The people in Pakistan are diverse in their spiritual beliefs and Daesh has done incredible damage to antiquities in the region. Daesh already has many enemies in Pakistan.

The Pakistani people can be tenacious. The Taliban made a huge play to rule the streets years ago and they were ousted.