WikiLeaks cables document U.S.-Pakistan tension
Top news: Diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks reveal the extent to which the United States was concerned about Pakistani nuclear material falling into the hands of terrorists, a fear that had been kept largely secret by U.S. officials.
In a cable from May 2009, Ambassador Ann Patterson reported that Pakistan was failing to live up to an agreement for the United States to remove its material out of fear of negative media attention. The cables also reveal that the U.S. was concerned by government officials' access to the materials, rather than militants:
"Our major concern is not having an Islamic militant steal an entire weapon but rather the chance someone working in GOP [government of Pakistan] facilities could gradually smuggle enough material out to eventually make a weapon," Patterson wrote.
Other newly released cables shed further light of the vulnerability felt by Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, who told Vice President Joe Biden that he feared the "ISI director and [General Ashfaq Parvez] Kayani will take me out."
Despite the level of mistrust between the two countries, it has also been revealed that Pakistan allowed 12 U.S. Special Operations soldiers to deploy with Pakistani troops in the country's tribal areas.
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-By Joshua Keating |  |
AAMIR QURESHI/AFP/Getty Images
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