Pakistan PM Rules Out Hosting CIA Bases

Pakistan territory won't be used for action inside Afghanistan

In comments with interviewers, Pakistani Premier Imran Khan ruled out the idea of hosting CIA bases for use against Afghanistan, saying that Pakistan would absolutely not consider US bases aimed at cross-border operations.

The CIA has been very public in seeking new basing options for its war in Afghanistan. Previously operating off of US military bases in Afghanistan, they don’t have a lot of options for where to go when the US withdraws.

The CIA has floated the idea of getting new bases in Pakistan or former Soviet states in the region. Russia reportedly opposes the northern ideas, and Khan has now ruled out Pakistan as a host, meaning that the CIA may be running out of luck.

The US plans to be out of Afghanistan by fall, but the CIA also intends to keep up operations againstĀ  the Taliban and other factions.They’re going to continue to seek some arrangement to keep their assassination program going, no doubt, but this will be complicated without a base of operations.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.