Pakistan let China see
crashed U.S. "stealth" copter
By Rosalind Russell and Alison Williams |
Reuters - 7 hrs ago
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan
gave China access to the
previously unknown U.S.
"stealth" helicopter that crashed
during the commando raid that
killed Osama bin Laden in May
despite explicit requests from the
CIA not to, the Financial Times
reported on Sunday.
The disclosure, if confirmed, is
likely to further shake the U.S.-
Pakistan relationship, which has
been improving slightly after
hitting its lowest point in decades
following the killing of bin Laden.
During the raid, one of two
modified Blackhawk helicopters,
believed to employ unknown
stealth capability, malfunctioned
and crashed, forcing the
commandos to abandon it.
"The U.S. now has information
that Pakistan, particularly the ISI,
gave access to the Chinese
military to the downed helicopter
in Abbottabad," the paper
quoted a person "in intelligence
circles" as saying on its website.
It said Pakistan, which enjoys a
close relationship with China,
allowed Chinese intelligence
officials to take pictures of the
crashed aircraft as well as take
samples of its special "skin" that
allowed the American raid to
evade Pakistani radar.
One U.S. official, speaking on
condition of anonymity, told
Reuters there was reason to
believe Pakistan had allowed the
Chinese to inspect the aircraft.
But the official could not confirm
it happened with certainty.
No one from the Pakistani army
was available for comment, but
the Inter-Services Intelligence
Directorate (ISI), Pakistan's top
spy agency, denied the report.
The paper said Pakistan's top
general, chief of army staff
Ashfaq Kayani, denied that China
had been given access.
The surviving tail section, photos
of which were widely distributed
on the Internet, was returned to
the United States following a trip
by U.S. Senator John Kerry in
May, a spokesman for the U.S.
embassy told Reuters.
Shortly after the raid, Pakistan
hinted that it might give China
access to the helicopter, given its
fury over the raid, which it
considers a grievous violation of
its sovereignty.
"We had explicitly asked the
Pakistanis in the immediate
aftermath of the raid not to let
anyone have access to the
damaged remains of the
helicopter," the Financial Times
quoted the source as saying.
In an incident such as the
helicopter crash, it is standard
American procedure to destroy
sophisticated technology such as
encrypted communications and
navigation computers.
DISPLEASURE
Pakistan is a strategic ally to the
United States but the relationship
has been on a downward spiral
since the killing of the al Qaeda
leader in the raid by U.S. forces.
Islamabad was not informed in
advance and responded by
cutting back on U.S. trainers in
the country and placing limits on
CIA activities there.
The fact that the al Qaeda chief
lived for years near the Pakistani
army's main academy in the
northwestern garrison town of
Abbottabad reinforced suspicions
in Washington about Islamabad's
reliability in the war against
militant Islamists.
There are also growing
frustrations with Pakistan over its
reluctance to mount offensives
against militant factions in the
northwest who are fighting U.S.-
led foreign forces across the
border in Afghanistan.
In a show of displeasure over
Pakistan's cutback in U.S. trainers,
its limits on visas for U.S.
personnel and other bilateral
irritants, the United States has
suspended about a third of its $
2.7 billion annual defense aid to
Pakistan.
Despite this, both sides have tried
to prevent a breakdown of
relations.
The head of Pakistan's powerful
Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI),
Lieutenant-General Ahmad Shuja
Pasha, visited the United States
last month for talks with U.S.
government and intelligence
officials, which both sides said
went well.
Despite the billions in aid,
Pakistan still considers China a
more reliable ally than the United
States. China is a major investor
in predominantly Muslim Pakistan
in areas such as
telecommunications, ports and
infrastructure. The countries are
linked by a Chinese-built road
pushed through Pakistan's
northern mountains.
Trade with Pakistan is worth
almost $9 billion a year for
Pakistan, and China is its top
arms supplier.
In the wake of attacks that left 11
people dead in the China's
western region of Xinjiang in late
July, Pakistan dispatched the ISI's
Pasha to Beijing.
(Writing and additional reporting
by Chris Allbritton in Islamabad,
Mark Hosenball and Phil Stewart
in Washington; Editing by
Rosalind Russell and Alison
Williams)[b][/b]

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