The proposal reflects the level of U.S. frustration
with the interrogation of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar since he was taken
into custody by Pakistani operatives working with the
As the main architect of the
“This guy should be able to give out everything from
bank account numbers to where training camps are located,” said a U.S.
government official familiar with the efforts to question Baradar.
“He’s not doing any of that.”
The
Baradar for about two weeks after his arrest, and has since worked
alongside Pakistani interrogators who continue to control the
questioning. But officials said they have learned nothing from Baradar
that could be used to track down other
A second U.S. official said that “Baradar is
talking,” but acknowledged concerns about the reliability of the
information, and said, “His debriefing could well be an extended
affair.”
CIA Director
But officials acknowledged the prospects for such a transfer are
uncertain because of legal and diplomatic obstacles, as well potential
objections from
The
A U.S. official said, “Baradar’s an Afghan, so it’s only logical that
his home country might be considered as an ultimate destination.”
But Baradar, a former member of the ruling
Moving Baradar to Bagram would give U.S.
interrogators control over his questioning. Officials stressed that he
would be in U.S. military custody, and that the
But a transfer to Bagram also poses other potential problems.
The prison already holds several detainees captured outside
has been reluctant to accept more out of concern that the facility
might become a source of international scorn, much like the detention
camp at
The
legal fight to prevent prisoners from using U.S. courts to challenge
their detentions at Bagram. And U.S. commanders have announced plans to
turn over to Afghan control.
Baradar’s capture has been portrayed as a breakthrough in U.S. efforts to get
Pakistani and
they had captured Baradar until after they began sorting through a
group of suspects arrested in a raid on the outskirts of
The house was targeted based on U.S. intelligence that “pointed to a
meeting of his people,” a U.S. official said. But there was no
expectation that Baradar would be there.
Only after Pakistani authorities began showing their
Separately on Friday,
Three other militants were killed in the attack, which occurred in near
Derga Mendai, a village located within the Haqqani network’s stronghold
in North Waziristan.
—
(c) 2010, Tribune Co.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.