Balochistan - Crossroads of Another US Proxy War? Eric Draitser: Balochistan - Crossroads of Another US Proxy War?

URL of this article: www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=31703

Eric Draitser is a frequent contributor to Global Research. Global Research Articles by Eric Draitser
The current unrest in Balochistan centers around forced disappearances, kidnappings, targeted killings, assassinations and terrorism. However, these are merely the tactics of a much broader, more geopolitically complex war in which the United States and its Western allies are engaged. Though seemingly insignificant against the backdrop of all the regional and international crises affecting our world, Balochistan is, in fact, a nexus: the point at which diametrically opposing strategic interests converge. The United States views Balochistan, an area that encompasses western Pakistan, eastern Iran, and a piece of southern Afghanistan, as critical to the maintenance of US hegemony in the Middle East and Central and South Asia. Conversely, China regards the region as necessary for its own economic and political evolution into a world superpower. Seen in this way, Balochistan becomes central to the development of geopolitical power in the 21st Century. Balochistan's Strategic Location Balochistan is located in one of the most geographically and politically significant places anywhere in the world. Not only does the region sit astride three countries which have become central to Western political and military power projection, it is also central to the development and export of energy from Central Asia, access to the Indian Ocean, and a host of other geopolitical imperatives for both the West and the SCO/BRICS countries. Because of this, the region has grown exponentially in importance to all the major powers of the world. Though the land seems, on the surface, to be inhospitable, it also holds great wealth just beneath the soil. Aside from what is believed to be a large quantity of natural gas and/or oil, the earth under the feet of the Baloch people holds vast quantities of minerals necessary for economic development. Because of this, the conflict raging in the region takes on the added dimension of being a resource war, on top of a geographical and political one. Balochistans location has another crucial element that makes it geopolitically necessary: it sits at the crossroads of the most important trade routes between West and East. Although, in the public mind, trade crossroads seem to be a thing of the
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past (one might imagine the Silk Road being traveled by camel), in fact, they are essential to development. Land-based trade, something the Chinese understand to be a linchpin of their economic and political evolution into a superpower, is impossible without a stable and dependable Balochistan, and this is precisely what the United States and the West seeks to prevent. This focus on land-based access to trade should always be seen in the context of energy. Chinas insatiable thirst for oil and gas makes the development of pipelines from Central Asia, Iran, and elsewhere invaluable to them. The IranPakistan pipeline, the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline, and other projects all serve to increase the importance of Balochistan in the eyes of the Chinese. Additionally, the Chinese-funded, Pakistani Gwadar Port is the access point for Chinese commercial shipping to the Indian Ocean and on to Africa. With all of this as a backdrop, one can begin to see just why Balochistan is so significant to the Chinese and, conversely, why the United States and its Western puppets seek to destabilize it. Western Subversion and Destabilization The Western imperialist powers have an obvious interest in preventing a stable Balochistan from emerging. Not only is the region essential to the Chinese, it is also a major part of the covert war being waged against both Iran and Pakistan. Terrorist groups with direct and indirect links to Western intelligence agencies operate with impunity in Balochistan, a vast area that is nearly impossible to police. The Pakistani government is not oblivious to the fact that foreign intelligence agencies are behind much of the violence in Balochistan, a fact that was even stated publicly by former President Musharraf. In fact, Islamabad, though they cannot state it publicly, is aware that its survival rests on the ability to quell the unrest in Balochistan, which in turn means they must effectively combat the foreign-controlled separatism. In an article published by the Qatari English-language newspaper The Peninsula, the author cited credible sources as saying that the CIA is indulging in heavy recruitment of local people as agents (each being paid $500 a month). Additionally we know that the CIA, under the leadership of Gen. Petraeus, has been using Afghan refugees to destabilize Balochistan. The significance of these revelations should not be understated. The fact that the CIA is recruiting agents and informants throughout Balochistan indicates that the US strategy of subversion is multi-faceted. On the one hand, a network of agents allows for intelligence and information manipulation while, on the other hand, the United States engages in terrorism through a variety of terrorist groups it controls or manipulates either directly or indirectly. As was reported in Foreign Policy magazine, the CIA and Mossad compete to control Jundallah, an important fact because it shows the way in which the Western imperialists use Balochistan, the
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base of Jundallah, to wage covert war on Iran, including the assassination of scientists, terrorist bombings aimed at critical infrastructure, and targeted killings of ethnic minorities. Aside from Jundallah, the CIA and its counterparts (MI6, Mossad, and Indias RAW) are actively engaged in the handling and manipulation of a variety of other terror groups operating in Balochistan. The Baloch Liberation Army, headed by Brahamdagh Bugti and others, has long-standing ties with British MI6 going all the way back to the early days of Pakistans independence. This group is responsible for countless terrorist actions in the region, all of which have been aimed at innocent civilians. This, and other groups like it, illustrates the way in which the United States and its allies use the weapon of terrorism to create chaos for the purpose of destabilizing Balochistan, thereby preventing economic development both for the Balochi people and, by extension, China. Political Sabotage The tactics of subversion are not limited to terrorism and espionage in Balochistan. One of the most critical dimensions of this issue is the use of political destabilization through the US Congress. Lawmakers such as Representative Dana Rohrbacher (R-CA), who himself has led the anti-Pakistan charge, have argued vigorously for the right of self-determination of the people of Balochistan. Of course, what he means by this is that he, and others who have a vested interest in the issue, support separatism and the destruction of modern Pakistan. In so doing, Rohrbacher and other members of the Congress act, as they always do, as apologists and facilitators of the US imperial strategy of dividing nations in order to control them. Rohrbacher, who himself has long-standing ties to Al-Qaeda (former mujahideen) fighters, is a vociferous proponent of a fiercely anti-Pakistan agenda, one which treats that nation as a threat to the United States. Naturally, the only threat Pakistan truly poses is that, in the course of the development of China, Pakistan has chosen to be on the side of economic development, rather than allow itself to be perpetually subjugated to the will of the United States. The resolution introduced by Rohrbacher, who is the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, called for the US to support Baloch separatism and end relations with the democratically elected government in Islamabad. He has repeatedly issued threats and other provocations which have been correctly interpreted by the Pakistani government as meddling in their internal affairs. The goal of these resolutions and provocations has been to make the case, both politically and in the court of public opinion, that Pakistan is a terrorist state which, because of the twisted logic of the American people, means that the US should be able to do whatever it wants to them.

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The goals of the Western imperialists vis--vis Balochistan have been, and remain, very simple: destabilize the region in order to block the Chinese from using it to assert their regional dominance and continue on the path to economic development. Using the same, tired tactics of terrorism and political subversion, they hope to achieve these aims. However, unlike the case of the British imperialist ruling class of a century ago, the United States must contend with a Pakistan that maintains a strong current of nationalism, one that rejects the hegemony of the United States in the region, and one that has friends internationally. Unfortunately for the Baloch people, the US ruling class has learned nothing from history and continues to use them as pawns against their perceived enemy in Beijing. Without a strong, nationalist government in Islamabad, one that is willing to do more than just protest US actions, there will be no peace in Balochistan. Instead, the situation will only deteriorate as the US elites continue their drive for dominance in the 21st Century, whatever the human and financial cost may be.

The B Conflict
Fatehullah Kundi on 15, May 2012Balochistan is the crux of global politics these

days mostly because of its marvelous geo political location and tremendou s inherent wealth. Geographi cally situated at the Arabian Sea, it finds itself the dead-center between trade routes of East Asia and the Middle East. Moreover nature has bestowed vast magnitude of minerals especially the natural gas which is also sometimes regarded as the economic bomb for Pakistan and prodigious amount of other
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natural resources including oil, uranium, copper and gold etc that worth hundreds of billions of dollars making it one of the worlds potentially richest regions. The completion of Gawadar Port with the assistance of China has also magnificently increased the importance of Balochistan in the eyes of those wanting to keep their hegemony in the region. Pakistan will surely want it to become a major trading port that will compete with Irans Chabahar port. Chinas primary motivation for building the port was to create a base that could be used to pump gas through a very long pipeline to China in the north. The United States on the other hand, is quite keen in Gwadars deepsea port, especially as its seen as something they could benefit commercially from. US would want Gawadar to become the next Dubai, which could also serve as a strategic base for the United States navy that already runs an airbase in Jacobabad, as well as a commercial port to trade oil, sidelining Irans importance within the region. The United States has been a strong advocate for TAPI, advising Pakistan to initiate the pipeline agreement, which would run an oil pipeline starting in Tajikistan and take it all the way to India. This pipeline would run through Baluchistan, and the United States believes that Baluchistan via Gwadar could be used to transport goods and equipment for their troops stationed primarily in Afghanistan. Pakistan has huge leverage over the United States with the Khyber Pass. Gwadar could potentially give the US an alternative route into south Afghanistan. The United States also runs covert operations in Baluchistan which they have denied against Iran. Even if Baluchistan were to break up from Pakistan, the United States would vigorously push forward in obtaining access to natural resources in the region. However, it is in the United States interest that Pakistan remains intact and Baluchistan remains only a province. For China, Baluchistans cessation from Pakistan would be a disaster, especially after all the efforts and funds they have put into Gwadar. Gwadar is exactly what China needs a route to the Arabian Sea, and another venue
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capable of supplying the country with oil in an age where there is a growing need for it. Considering China and Russia are already being scrutinized for their reliance on Iranian oil (China does not want to depend on American backed Saudi oil), a supply route straight from an ally is probably the best option for them right now. There is also heavy speculation that the Pentagon worried at the prospect of Gwadar becoming a naval base for the Chinese, especially since this could threaten their supply of oil from the Persian Gulf. The BLA is also targeting many Chinese workers in Baluchistan, and there is almost no way that Pakistan can effectively guarantee their security without creating more military cantonments in the province. Seemingly, Chinas best option now is to try and assist Pakistan in creating schools and higher institutions for educating the Baloch. China whole-heartedly believes that Gwadar can overtake Irans Chahbar port, and will be welcoming its speedy development. India is also an interested party and has some nefarious designs of their own in terms of covert operations in Baluchistan firstly because India has really never accepted Pakistan as an independent sovereign nation, and would to go to any extent to disintegrate it once again. Secondly India does not have any natural gas reserves the majority of gas it does export comes from Iran. The completion of the Zaranaj-Delaram highway in southwestern Afghanistan though clearly shows Indias intent in creating better political and economic relations with CARs. Gwadar also does worry India on a few fronts though. First off, from a military point of view, Gwadar gives Pakistans navy a strategic advantage and will arouse as one of several naval bases that are to be set up to create a larger and better-defended presence of the Pakistan navy in the Indian ocean. Secondly, Gwadar is a connecting point to warm water for Pakistan in its attempts to create better relations with CARs. The port-city can also help increase its influence in Afghanistan which is something Pakistan will undoubtedly welcome. Already being a member of the Economic Cooperation Organization since 1985, Pakistan will also want to also
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increase its economic ties with both Turkey and Iran. Thirdly, China has a significant strategic advantage in Gwadars viability, and success will mean trouble for India. India simply does not want China to increase its military and economic ties with Pakistan and barricading any possibilities would be in Indias best interests. Afghanistan is also contributing its part to Baloch conflict. Since the Taliban have been ousted of power and the Northern Alliance has joined Karzais government, its only natural for Pakistan to feel more anxious about the happenings on its western borders. Indian officials have been visiting Afghanistan regularly to assist in pumping funds towards insurgency movement in Balochistan. Kabul has encouraged India to engage in provocative activities such as using the Border Roads Organization to build sensitive parts of the Ring Road and use the Indo-Tibetan police force for security. It is also building schools on a sensitive part of the border in Kunaracross from Bajaur. Before Iran became an Islamic Republic it had great ties with Pakistan and the rest of the Arab world. However, since the revolution, Pakistan has sided with the United States, and relations have somewhat been strained. Iran has spent a great share of cash on developing the Chabahar port it does not want it to be ignored because of the importance of Gwadar. Both ports are only a hundred miles away from one another, and the last thing Iran probably wants to worry about is their port being isolated especially when a lot of pressure is spewing due to their ongoing nuclear ambitions. Iran is also very interested in the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) pipeline, which would certainly increase their revenue and also give them more control of their financial affairs. By setting up the pipeline, they will be able to directly trade with their key ally India. Iran will certainly wish for such a conclusion, as a TAPI pipeline will certainly kill their ability to trade with CARs and with India and Pakistan. Whatever it is, Baluchistan will surely be the epicenter of Pakistans future, and it can surely revive Pakistan. For a country that virtually has no more room for failure, Pakistan should diligently work towards ensuring that
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Baluchistan becomes and remains an integral and united province under one country.

Foreign hand behind unrest in Balochistan, PCNS told

* Chiefs of ISI, FC brief committee on Balochistan situation * FC IG denies custody of any missing person By Ijaz Kakakhel ISLAMABAD: The Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS) was told on Tuesday that Balochistans law and order situation was worsening and there was strong evidence of foreign elements involvement in it, sources told Daily Times. The PCNS meeting was held at Parliament House under Senator Mian Raza Rabbani. It particularly discussed the issue of missing persons in Balochistan. The committee was informed that 69 missing persons had been traced, adding that 23 of them were found dead. Some other missing people could not be traced, the PCNS was told. Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lieutenant General Zaheerul Islam and officials from other intelligence agencies briefed the committee. They apprised lawmakers about steps being taken by the authorities concerned for the recovery of missing persons. The sources said that the ISI DG also informed the committee about the deplorable law and order situation in Balochistan. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, PCNS Chairman Raza Rabbani said proper legislation was on the cards on part of the government regarding missing persons across the country. He said the committee would prepare and forward its recommendation in the legislation process. He also said that foreign hands were involved in the Balochistan unrest. Frontier Corps (FC) Inspector General Major General Nadir Zaib and the Balochistan home secretary also briefed the committee. Zaib told the committee that all missing persons had gone to Afghanistan and no one was in the FCs custody, a participant of the meeting told Daily Times. Speaking to the media after the meeting, Zaib said that suggestions on how to solve the missing persons issue had been submitted to the government and it was now their responsibility to work on them and solve the issue. According to the sources, the committee was also informed that Laskhar-e-Tayyaba and Jundullah were involved in sectarian violence in Balochistan. Meanwhile, the committee did not allow Interior Secretary Siddiq Akbar to attend the meeting after he arrived late for the briefing. The committee directed the staff not to open the door of committee room when Akbar arrived about 20 to 25 minutes late for the briefing.

CIA carving out new role

Farrukh Saleem Thursday, February 23, 2012 6July2012

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ISLAMABAD: The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), led by David Petraeus the former Commander, US Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A), has a strategic, multidimensional interest in Balochistan, Pakistans largest province. In March 2011, The Peninsula, Qatars leading English language daily, revealed that the CIA is indulging in heavy recruitment of local people as agents (each being paid $500 a month) in Balochistan to locate members of the Quetta Shura, a term used by the Americans for Mullah Omar-led Taliban commanders. Over the long term, the CIA has an interest in keeping the strategically important Port of Gwadar out of Chinas influence. Over the short to medium term, the CIA also has an interest in supporting Jundallah, also known as Peoples Resistance Movement of Iran (PRMI), a violent organization that claims to be fighting for the rights of Sunni Muslims in Iran. David Petraeus is now bent upon carving out an additional role for the CIA-one that of becoming a mediator between the Baloch Ajoee Lashkar, the Baloch Liberation Front, the Baloch Awami Azadi Mahaiz, the Baloch Republican Army (BRA) and the Balochistan Liberation United Front all on one side and the Pakistan Army on the other. If the CIA is successful in capturing the mediators role in the Balochistan conflict, the CIA will gain additional leverage over the ISI and thus an upper hand in the Afghan endgame. As things stand right now Baloch belligerents are not even willing to sit across the table and negotiate a ceasefire. What the CIA has going in its favor is the massive and growing-trust deficit between Baloch militants and the generals of the Pakistan Army. The eventual settlement would have to be negotiated on the negotiating table but the CIA is hopping that they will have a role to play as a mediator-cum-guarantor. Disintegration of a state is a rare phenomenon. Disintegration of Pakistan is neither in the interest of international powers nor are they really capable of affecting a split at this stage. Bangladesh isnt a parallel because Balochistan is a contagious province and Balochistan on its own will not be an economically feasible entity. Time, however, is of essence. India is playing spoiler and things are getting from bad to worse.

CIA using Afghan refugees to destabilize Balochistan

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By Ahmed Rayyan - Mar 24th, 2012 (13 Comments)

Quetta: United States Central Intelligence Agency is using Afghan refugees in destabilizing Balochistan, alleged a former Pakistan minister and ruling Peoples Party member of National Assembly. Pakistan should link restoration of NATO supply to Afghanistan via Pakistan with ending CIA involvement in Balochistans destabilizing activities, Mir Humayon Aziz Kurd said in an interview to a local daily. Balochistan, the largest province of Pakistan by area, is badly hit by lawlessness in the province with people of Punjab and Pushtoon origins are being killed to evacuate the province. Humayon Kurd viewed that CIA was behind killing of Punjaib and Pushtoon people living in the area for decades. It is using Afghan refugees to kill them. The government should either send these refugees back or restrict them to their camps. He made an interesting note about Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani, known for his witty remarks. His position is no more than a mayor of a small district. He has not authority and we accept that provincial government is entirely non-functional. PPP MNA termed former president Pervez Musharraf responsible for giving freehand to CIA and other US officials.

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They were allowed to move freely in the province and presently their direct interferences has acceded all limits. It may be pointed out that a bill is presented in US congress to support separation of Balochistan from Pakistan triggering a countrywide protest in Pakistan. Presenting recommendations on bringing peace in the province, Humayon Kurd was of view to remove Frontier Constabulary inside the province. FC should be place on borders and not in civilian areas, he said. All political forces should get united on Balochistan issue and I am hopeful that the problem could be resolved easily.

False Flag
A series of CIA memos describes how Israeli Mossad agents posed as American spies to recruit members of the terrorist organization Jundallah to fight their covert war against Iran.
BY MARK PERRY | JANUARY 13, 2012

Buried deep in the archives of America's intelligence services are a series of memos, written during the last years of President George W. Bush's
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administration, that describe how Israeli Mossad officers recruited operatives belonging to the terrorist group Jundallah by passing themselves off as American agents. According to two U.S. intelligence officials, the Israelis, flush with American dollars and toting U.S. passports, posed as CIA officers in recruiting Jundallah operatives -- what is commonly referred to as a "false flag" operation. The memos, as described by the sources, one of whom has read them and another who is intimately familiar with the case, investigated and debunked reports from 2007 and 2008 accusing the CIA, at the direction of the White House, of covertly supporting Jundallah -- a Pakistan-based Sunni extremist organization. Jundallah, according to the U.S. government and published reports, is responsible for assassinating Iranian government officials and killing Iranian women and children. But while the memos show that the United States had barred even the most incidental contact with Jundallah, according to both intelligence officers, the same was not true for Israel's Mossad. The memos also detail CIA field reports saying that Israel's recruiting activities occurred under the nose of U.S. intelligence officers, most notably in London, the capital of one of Israel's ostensible allies, where Mossad officers posing as CIA operatives met with Jundallah officials. The officials did not know whether the Israeli program to recruit and use Jundallah is ongoing. Nevertheless, they were stunned by the brazenness of the Mossad's efforts. "It's amazing what the Israelis thought they could get away with," the intelligence officer said. "Their recruitment activities were nearly in the
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open. They apparently didn't give a damn what we thought." Interviews with six currently serving or recently retired intelligence officers over the last 18 months have helped to fill in the blanks of the Israeli falseflag operation. In addition to the two currently serving U.S. intelligence officers, the existence of the Israeli false-flag operation was confirmed to me by four retired intelligence officers who have served in the CIA or have monitored Israeli intelligence operations from senior positions inside the U.S. government. The CIA and the White House were both asked for comment on this story. By the time this story went to press, they had not responded. The Israeli intelligence services -- the Mossad -- were also contacted, in writing and by telephone, but failed to respond. As a policy, Israel does not confirm or deny its involvement in intelligence operations. There is no denying that there is a covert, bloody, and ongoing campaign aimed at stopping Iran's nuclear program, though no evidence has emerged connecting recent acts of sabotage and killings inside Iran to Jundallah. Many reports have cited Israel as the architect of this covert campaign, which claimed its latest victim on Jan. 11 when a motorcyclist in Tehran slipped a magnetic explosive device under the car of Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, a young Iranian nuclear scientist. The explosion killed Roshan, making him the fourth scientist assassinated in the past two years. The United States adamantly denies it is behind these killings. According to one retired CIA officer, information about the false-flag operation was reported up the U.S. intelligence chain of command. It reached CIA Director of Operations Stephen Kappes, his deputy Michael
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Sulick, and the head of the Counterintelligence Center. All three of these officials are now retired. The Counterintelligence Center, according to its website, is tasked with investigating "threats posed by foreign intelligence services." The report then made its way to the White House, according to the currently serving U.S. intelligence officer. The officer said that Bush "went absolutely ballistic" when briefed on its contents. "The report sparked White House concerns that Israel's program was putting Americans at risk," the intelligence officer told me. "There's no question that the U.S. has cooperated with Israel in intelligence-gathering operations against the Iranians, but this was different. No matter what anyone thinks, we're not in the business of assassinating Iranian officials or killing Iranian civilians." Israel's relationship with Jundallah continued to roil the Bush administration until the day it left office, this same intelligence officer noted. Israel's activities jeopardized the administration's fragile relationship with Pakistan, which was coming under intense pressure from Iran to crack down on Jundallah. It also undermined U.S. claims that it would never fight terror with terror, and invited attacks in kind on U.S. personnel. "It's easy to understand why Bush was so angry," a former intelligence officer said. "After all, it's hard to engage with a foreign government if they're convinced you're killing their people. Once you start doing that, they feel they can do the same." A senior administration official vowed to "take the gloves off" with Israel,

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according to a U.S. intelligence officer. But the United States did nothing -a result that the officer attributed to "political and bureaucratic inertia." "In the end," the officer noted, "it was just easier to do nothing than to, you know, rock the boat." Even so, at least for a short time, this same officer noted, the Mossad operation sparked a divisive debate among Bush's national security team, pitting those who wondered "just whose side these guys [in Israel] are on" against those who argued that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." The debate over Jundallah was resolved only after Bush left office when, within his first weeks as president, Barack Obama drastically scaled back joint U.S.-Israel intelligence programs targeting Iran, according to multiple serving and retired officers. The decision was controversial inside the CIA, where officials were forced to shut down "some key intelligence-gathering operations," a recently retired CIA officer confirmed. This action was followed in November 2010 by the State Department's addition of Jundallah to its list of foreign terrorist organizations -- a decision that one former CIA officer called "an absolute no-brainer." Since Obama's initial order, U.S. intelligence services have received clearance to cooperate with Israel on a number of classified intelligencegathering operations focused on Iran's nuclear program, according to a currently serving officer. These operations are highly technical in nature and do not involve covert actions targeting Iran's infrastructure or political or military leadership.

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"We don't do bang and boom," a recently retired intelligence officer said. "And we don't do political assassinations." Israel regularly proposes conducting covert operations targeting Iranians, but is just as regularly shut down, according to retired and current intelligence officers. "They come into the room and spread out their plans, and we just shake our heads," one highly placed intelligence source said, "and we say to them -- 'Don't even go there. The answer is no.'" Unlike the Mujahedin-e Khalq, the controversial exiled Iranian terrorist group that seeks the overthrow of the Tehran regime and is supported by former leading U.S. policymakers, Jundallah is relatively unknown -- but just as violent. In May 2009, a Jundallah suicide bomber blew himself up inside a mosque in Zahedan, the capital of Iran's southeastern SistanBaluchistan province bordering Pakistan, during a Shiite religious festival. The bombing killed 25 Iranians and wounded scores of others. The attack enraged Tehran, which traced the perpetrators to a cell operating in Pakistan. The Iranian government notified the Pakistanis of the Jundallah threat and urged them to break up the movement's bases along the IranianPakistani border. The Pakistanis reacted sluggishly in the border areas, feeding Tehran's suspicions that Jundallah was protected by Pakistan's intelligence services. The 2009 attack was just one in a long line of terrorist attacks attributed to the organization. In August 2007, Jundallah kidnapped 21 Iranian truck drivers. In December 2008, it captured and executed 16 Iranian border guards -- the gruesome killings were filmed, in a stark echo of the decapitation of American businessman Nick Berg in Iraq at the hands of al
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Qaeda's Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. In July 2010, Jundallah conducted a twin suicide bombing in Zahedan outside a mosque, killing dozens of people, including members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The State Department aggressively denies that the U.S. government had or has any ties to Jundallah. "We have repeatedly stated, and reiterate again that the United States has not provided support to Jundallah," a spokesman wrote in an email to the Wall Street Journal, following Jundallah's designation as a terrorist organization. "The United States does not sponsor any form of terrorism. We will continue to work with the international community to curtail support for terrorist organizations and prevent violence against innocent civilians. We have also encouraged other governments to take comparable actions against Jundallah." A spate of stories in 2007 and 2008, including a report by ABC News and a New Yorker article, suggested that the United States was offering covert support to Jundallah. The issue has now returned to the spotlight with the string of assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists and has outraged serving and retired intelligence officers who fear that Israeli operations are endangering American lives. "This certainly isn't the first time this has happened, though it's the worst case I've heard of," former Centcom chief and retired Gen. Joe Hoar said of the Israeli operation upon being informed of it. "But while false-flag operations are hardly new, they're extremely dangerous. You're basically using your friendship with an ally for your own purposes. Israel is playing with fire. It gets us involved in their covert war, whether we want to be involved or not."

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The Israeli operation left a number of recently retired CIA officers sputtering in frustration. "It's going to be pretty hard for the U.S. to distance itself from an Israeli attack on Iran with this kind of thing going on," one of them told me. Jundallah head Abdolmalek Rigi was captured by Iran in February 2010. Although initial reports claimed that he was captured by the Iranians after taking a flight from Dubai to Kyrgyzstan, a retired intelligence officer with knowledge of the incident told me that Rigi was detained by Pakistani intelligence officers in Pakistan. The officer said that Rigi was turned over to the Iranians after the Pakistani government informed the United States that it planned to do so. The United States, this officer said, did not raise objections to the Pakistani decision. Iran, meanwhile, has consistently claimed that Rigi was snatched from under the eyes of the CIA, which it alleges supported him. "It doesn't matter," the former intelligence officer said of Iran's charges. "It doesn't matter what they say. They know the truth." Rigi was interrogated, tried, and convicted by the Iranians and hanged on June 20, 2010. Prior to his execution, Rigi claimed in an interview with Iranian media -- which has to be assumed was under duress -- that he had doubts about U.S. sponsorship of Jundallah. He recounted an alleged meeting with "NATO officials" in Morocco in 2007 that raised his suspicions. "When we thought about it we came to the conclusion that they are either Americans acting under NATO cover or Israelis," he said. While many of the details of Israel's involvement with Jundallah are now known, many others still remain a mystery -- and are likely to remain so.
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The CIA memos of the incident have been "blue bordered," meaning that they were circulated to senior levels of the broader U.S. intelligence community as well as senior State Department officials. What has become crystal clear, however, is the level of anger among senior intelligence officials about Israel's actions. "This was stupid and dangerous," the intelligence official who first told me about the operation said. "Israel is supposed to be working with us, not against us. If they want to shed blood, it would help a lot if it was their blood and not ours. You know, they're supposed to be a strategic asset. Well, guess what? There are a lot of people now, important people, who just don't think that's true."

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