Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

US bid to recruit Pak ex-servicemen for Iraq foiled - report

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Islamabad, May 25, IRNA - Pakistan has closed down two illegal 
recruitment facilities in Lahore and Rawalpindi for being used by some
US civil and military contractors. 
The News reported in its Tuesday issue that these contractors were
involved in recruitment of ex-servicemen for non-combatant security 
operations in Iraq. 
The daily said that in recent high-level contacts in Islamabad and
Washington, the United States has desired that Pakistan let the 
recruitment for Iraq continue, as it does not amount to Pakistani 
contribution to the coalition military operations in Iraq. 
Most recent contacts between the two countries, it added, were 
during Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri`s visit to Washington 
last week. 
US Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca had visited 
Islamabad just before Kasuri`s official visit to the US capital, while
she had visited Islamabad in March accompanying Secretary of State 
Colin Powell. 
Islamabad has so far declined to send its troops to the United 
States command, insisting it could consider the option if the United 
Nations took control of the state of affairs instead of an occupying 
power. 
Pakistani officials believed that an unspecified small number of 
Pakistanis had already been hired and sent to Iraq before the Federal 
Security Agencies detected and interrupted the activity last month, 
according to the daily. 
It also said that top US companies working in Iraq were in the 
process of recruiting ex-servicemen from India and Pakistan for their 
personnel`s security. 
MHA/TSH/211 
 Wed 2004-05-26