NATO worried about al Qaeda gaining strength in Pakistan

NATO has voiced concern over a US intelligence report which highlights that the al Qaeda network is regaining its ability to carry out attacks on US soil by finding refuge in remote regions of Pakistan.

Brussels, July 19 : NATO has voiced concern over a US intelligence report which highlights that the al Qaeda network is regaining its ability to carry out attacks on US soil by finding refuge in remote regions of Pakistan.

"There is no doubt that NATO and its allies would meet this kind of report with concern. It is of concern to be told that the al Qaeda and the Taliban are getting stronger in an area across the border from Afghanistan," NATO spokesman James Appathurai said. he unclassified report by the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), a consensus view of 16 American spy agencies, has warned that the al Qaeda has regenerated its capability to strike the US, and entrenched itself in remote northwestern Pakistan.

The 26-nation Western defence alliance, which is heading international peacekeeping efforts in Afghanistan, said the US report highlighted the need for closer political co-operation, economic and military assistance to Pakistan, The News reported.

NATO, Afghan and Pakistani intelligence officers were working together at a NATO managed intelligence centre in Kabul, and some of its allies like the US, were working with Islamabad to tighten security in the border in Afghanistan.

ANI