Panetta doubts insurgent deal

LITTLE ROCK — CIA Director Leon Panetta on Sunday dismissed reports that the network of Sirajuddin Haqqani, a major element in the insurgency in Afghanistan and an ally of al-Qaida, was open to a Pakistan-brokered reconciliation process that could usher the group into a power-sharing arrangement in Kabul.

“We have seen no evidence that they are truly interested in reconciliation where they would surrender their arms, where they would denounce al-Qaida, where they would really try to become part of that society,” Panetta said on This Week on ABC.

Acknowledging that the American-led counterinsurgency effort was facing unexpected difficulty, Panetta said that the Taliban and their allies had little motive to contemplate a power-sharing arrangement in Afghanistan.

“We have seen no evidence of that, and very frankly my view is that with regards to reconciliation unless they’re convinced the United States is going to win and that they are going to be defeated, I think it is very difficult to proceed with a reconciliation that is going to be meaningful,” he said.

The remarks seemed designed to challenge efforts by senior Pakistani military and intelligence officials to orchestrate a deal that could drive a wedge between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the United States, and rehabilitate the Haqqani network, a longtime Pakistani asset.

“Winning in Afghanistan is having a country that is stable enough to ensure that there is no safe haven for al-Qaida or for a militant Taliban that welcomes al-Qaida,” Panetta said. “That is the measure of success for the United States.” But he acknowledged that the fight has proved “harder” and “slower than I think anyone anticipated.”

As for Pakistan’s effort to broker talks, President Barack Obama said Sunday: “I think it’s too early to tell. I think we have to view these efforts with skepticism but also with openness. The Taliban is a blend of hardcore ideologues, tribal leaders, kids that basically sign up because it’s the best job available to them,” he said, suggesting that some Taliban could be part of negotiations.

The president avoided any direct comment on whether the Haqqani network, the Taliban element reportedly proposed by Pakistan as part of a deal, could become part of Afghanistan’s future leadership. But he said that “conversations between the Afghan government and the Pakistani government, building trust between those two governments, are a useful step.”

Panetta’s remarks came as a suspected CIA missile launched from a drone killed three militants in North Waziristan, part of Pakistan’s tribal areas where Panetta said al-Qaida is now concentrated. He said al-Qaida is probably at its weakest since the Sept. 11 attacks because of U.S.-led strikes, with only 50 to 100 militants operating inside Afghanistan and the rest hiding along Pakistan’s mountainous western border.

Panetta also said the U.S. hasn’t had good intelligence on Osama bin Laden’s whereabouts for years and that the terrorist network is finding smarter ways to attack the United States.

Of greatest concern, he said, is al-Qaida’s reliance on operatives without previous records or those living in the United States.

“We are engaged in the most aggressive operations in the history of the CIA in that part of the world, and the result is that we are disrupting their leadership,” Panetta said.

The rare assessment from the nation’s spy chief comes as Obama builds up U.S. forces in Afghanistan to prop up the government and prevent al-Qaida from returning. About 98,000 U.S. troops will be in Afghanistan by fall.

Information for this article was contributed by Peter Finn of The Washington Post, by Anne Flaherty of The Associated Press, and by Scott Shane and David E. Sanger of The New York Times.