Seymour Hersh: The US Has A Team Ready To Help Secure Pakistan's Nuclear Weapons

[Turborama]

Run time: 05:36 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EDaSbMkrfY   Posted on YouTube: November 11, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: November 11, 2009 By DU Member: Turborama Views on DU: 712

 
Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh says the US has a rapid response unit ready to secure Pakistan's nuclear weapons in the event of a mutiny or "any nuclear incident", a claim the US and Pakistani governments have denied.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Hersh discussed http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/11/16/091116fa_fact_hersh">his report which appeared in The New Yorker magazine and said a team was scrambled recently to respond to what was thought to be a nuclear emergency in Pakistan, which turned out to be a false alarm.

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US denies Pakistan nuclear report


The US government has rejected a report that Washington has a team ready to secure Pakistan's nuclear arsenal due to fears that the country is unstable.

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Hersh, a Pulitzer prize-winning writer, said in his report that the US and Pakistan have agreed on a security protocol allowing a special US team to assist in the guarding of Pakistan's nuclear armaments.

"There certainly is a rapid response force; I'll take it a step further – it is called a 'Tailored Fest'," he told Al Jazeera on Tuesday.

"I just wish they would not deny stuff that is actually publicly available if you know where to look for it. It is a force that (will act) in case of any nuclear incident or any other terrorism-related incident.

"The men, and the women, who I assume will work on it include not only US state department counter-terror people but also the CIA, the FBI and other special operators, as a unified team.

"They have to report within four hours of a crisis to Andrews air field (in Washington DC) and be sent on their way."

Hersh said that the unit was scrambled last summer to respond to an alert in Pakistan, but the incident proved to be a false alarm.

"There was a report that turned out to be aborted (about) some nuclear incident, probably a missing nuke in Pakistan. This is a super worry for the United States of America, and it always has been," Hersh said.

Full article: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2009/11/200911110442955448.html

(Edited the title to clarify exactly what he said)

[mattvermont]

1. glad someone is thinking about the

unthinkable

[pundaint]

2. I'm down with some secrets

How does this message, true or not, contribute to any kind of solution?

Sy, if you gotta go after military secrets how about getting the poop on UFO's?

[Turborama]

3. The article in The New Yorker

Is a well researched insight into what Obama has to deal with in Pakistan and makes for interesting reading for anyone who's
concerned with what's going on there.

As a sub-heading says: "America’s dealings with Pakistan may be increasing the risk of radicalization."

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/11/16/091116fa_fact_hersh?currentPage=all