The (im)famous whistle blowing site ‘Wikileaks’ has released documents obtained by hackers from CIA Director John Brennan’s non-government email account. The emails show that the Obama administration had done its homework on the region well before Obama was formally sworn in, in 2009.
According to Wikileaks Brennan used the account occasionally for intelligence related projects.
Brennan became the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in March 2013, replacing General David Petraeus.
Previously Brennan was Assistant to the US President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism since 2009 until he took on his role as the CIA chief.
According to Wikileaks the emails dated 2008, are from the period when Brennan’s intelligence and analysis firm ‘The Analysis Corp’ (TAC) was engaged as a security advisor for the Obama campaign.
It was in 2008 that many of the Obama administration’s key strategic policies towards Afghanistan and Pakistan were formulated.
The email dated 7th November 2008 was sent days after Obama had won the 2008 elections and about two months before he was formally sworn in as President of the United States.
In the email Brennan notes the absence of any “comprehensive strategy being implemented in the Afghanistan-Pakistan (AF-PK) region. No commitment of troops, funds, or effort in Afghanistan will eliminate the threat to the United States without a comprehensive strategy that encompasses efforts in Pakistan to eliminate al Qaeda and the Taliban insurgency emanating from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The FATA safe-haven fuels the Afghan insurgency and is a strategic threat in its own right because it enables al Qaeda to organize, train, and plan operations against the United States homeland and against our allies.”
He further points out regarding his visits to Afghanistan and Pakistan, that while “a comprehensive strategy for the region may exist, no one in Washington or on the ground with whom we spoke, including our ambassadors, is aware of it. Rather, in Afghanistan and Pakistan, well-intentioned individuals in various elements are working in their own lanes and mission sets, yet nothing ties their efforts together as a whole for an achievable victory.”
In his recommendations Brennan noted, “concerns about Pakistani resolve have prompted suggestions that the [United States Government] USG increase unilateral action, but the USG needs Pakistani cooperation to eliminate the threat from the FATA and cannot afford to lose Pakistani support for our efforts in Afghanistan.
Brennan also noted that the United States must dramatically increase “engagement with Pakistan to develop a partnership toward meeting U.S. and Pakistani goals for the region.”
He recommended that the Obama administration “should begin an intensive diplomatic effort to develop solutions to conflicts between Afghanistan and Pakistan.”
The Wikileaks release includes documents and drafts relating to US national security challenges as well.
Meanwhile the CIA has refused to comment on the Wikileaks release.
