Yet again we hear that Pakistan's ISI is still supporting the Taliban

If you are following David Rohde's report of his escape from the Taliban in Miram Shah, Tribal Areas of Pakistan, you will, I hope, have noticed his comment about the connection between the Taliban and Pakistan's InterServices Intelligence Agency [ISI]. This is what he says [NYT 10/22/09], [Click on the title for a link.]

My suspicions about the relationship between the Haqqanis and the Pakistani military proved to be true. Some American officials told my colleagues at The Times that Pakistan’s military intelligence agency, the Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence, or ISI, turns a blind eye to the Haqqanis’ activities. Others went further and said the ISI provided money, supplies and strategic planning to the Haqqanis and other Taliban groups.

Pakistani officials told my colleagues that the contacts were part of a strategy to maintain influence in Afghanistan to prevent India, Pakistan’s archenemy, from gaining a foothold. One Pakistani official called the Taliban “proxy forces to preserve our interests.”

Meanwhile, the Haqqanis continue to use North Waziristan to train suicide bombers and bomb makers who kill Afghan and American forces. They also continue to take hostages.