US-ISI 2LST

American and NATO officials suspect that retired
officers like Imam have served as quasi-official bridge to
Taliban leaders and their rank and file as other militant
groups.
Colonel Imam who lives in the garrison town of
Rawalpindi, just yards from Pakistani Army headquarters denied
any continued link to the Taliban. But he admitted that some
"freelancers" -- meaning some former Pakistani military or
intelligence officials-- might still be assisting the
insurgents.
"If Colonel Imam personifies the double edge of
Pakistan's policy towards the Taliban, he also embodies the
deep connection Pakistan has to Afghan insurgents, and
possibly the key to controlling them," the Times said.
Though Imam speaks highly of the Americans he trained
under, he predicts failure for the US in Afghanistan. PTI