Rumsfeld performs al-Qaida u-turn

The US has no direct evidence that Osama bin Laden’s terror network is operating in Kashmir,

Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld - hours after claiming he had seen ‘‘indications’’ of al-Qaida activity on the front line.

"The facts are that I do not have evidence and the United States does not have evidence of al-Qaida in Kashmir," Rumsfeld said in Islamabad after talks with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf.

He said the United States had "a good deal of scraps of intelligence" from "people saying they believe al-Qaida are in Kashmir or in various locations".

"It tends to be speculative," Rumsfeld said. "It is not actionable. It is not verifiable."

Indian officials have been saying they have indications that Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network is operating in Kashmir, where Islamic insurgents are battling to end Indian rule.

In New Delhi yesterday, Rumsfeld said al-Qaida fighters may be operating in the Kashmir region.

"I have seen indications that there, in fact, are al-Qaida in the areas we’re talking about, near the Line of Control" that separates the Pakistani and Indian sectors of Kashmir, he said.

However today, in the Pakistani capital, he said US-Pakistani cooperation against al-Qaida was so close that if there any ‘‘actionable intelligence’’ about al-Qaida’s presence, "there isn’t any doubt in my mind but that the Pakistan government would go find them and deal with them."