Report: Pentagon 'urgently assessing' security of Pakistan nukes

[Flabbergasted]

The U.S. military is "urgently assessing" the security of Pakistan's nuclear weapons in the event that President Pervez Musharraf is killed or deposed, three unidentified officials tell CNN.

The news network reports that these anonymous sources, identified as military officers and intelligence analysts, say Washington "is not certain who might start controlling nuclear launch codes and weapons if that shift in power were to happen."

CNN's Pentagon correspondent says the U.S. government knows where Pakistan's nuclear weapons are located, but military analysts are concerned about the Pakistani leader's ability to maintain long-term control over "commanders and senior officials in charge of the nuclear program."

CNN says it granted anonymity to its sources because of the sensitivity of the matters they were discussing.

USA TODAY has not confirmed this report.

http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2007/08/report-pentagon.html

[RC]

1. More "All Fear, All the Time"

If the US would stay out of other countries business and not be a threat, there would not be a problem over there.

[karlrschneider]

2. CNN is about to discuss this issue.

Just caught the teaser surfing chans on the teevee...

[seemslikeadream]

3. Bush Spiked Probe of Pakistan’s Dr. Strangelove, BBC reported in 2001

http://www.dissidentvoice.org/Feb04/Palast0212.htm

On November 7, 2001, BBC Television's Newsnight and the Guardian of London reported that the Bush administration thwarted investigations of Dr. A.Q. Khan, known as the "father" of Pakistan's atomic bomb. This week, Khan confessed to selling atomic secrets to Libya, North Korea, and Iran.

The Bush Administration has expressed shock at disclosures that Pakistan, our ally in the war on terror, has been running a nuclear secrets bazaar. In fact, according to the British news teams' sources within US intelligence agencies, shortly after President Bush's inauguration, his National Security Agency (NSA) effectively stymied the probe of Khan Research Laboratories, the Pakistani agency in charge of the bomb project. CIA and other agents told BBC they could not investigate the spread of “Islamic Bombs” through Pakistan because funding appeared to originate in Saudi Arabia.

Greg Palast and David Pallister received a California State University Project Censored Award for this expose based on the story broadcast by Palast on BBC television's top current affairs program.

According to both sources and documents obtained by the BBC, the Bush Administration “spike” of the investigation of Dr. Khan’s Lab followed from a wider policy of protecting key Saudi Arabians including the Bin Laden family.

Noam Chomsky, who read the story on page one of the Times of India, has wondered, “Why wasn’t this all over US papers?”

To learn why, read the following excerpt from the 2003 edition of Palast’s book, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy:

The "Back-Off" Directive and the Islamic Bomb

[CJCRANE]

4. Um, why doesn't Pakistan just have elections? n/t

[Flabbergasted]

7. They can but it would more than likely end up with Mush's head on a pike.

[CJCRANE]

9. Yes, he would lose

but from what I understand the previous elected govts have been fairly moderate.

However, the fact the Mushie suddenly came to power in '99 makes me wonder if he was facilitated by the neocons' buddies (that's pure speculation BTW, I don't know the background to his rise to power).

[Flabbergasted]

10. I think we would see something along the lines of what is happening in

Palestine with Fatah led by Abbas being supported by the West and Hamas the separatist Militant group. Lebanon, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Egypt mirror this situation.

[Inuca]

8. They have elections scheduled for...

... sometimes in October. Whether they will actually happen... who knows...

[The Magistrate]

5. They Had Damned Well Better Be Doing that, Sir

That country is a but a whisker off from up for grabs in civil war: it is the most serious actual danger in the offing....

[C_U_L8R]

6. Sounds like Mushie's about to be mushed

(and why are they telling us this?)