In December of 2007 Guardian and Independent published stories that were clearly designed to muddle the facts and divert attention away from the real story. The real story was that these training camps were to create the Tehreek-e Taliban-e Pakistan (TMP) or Pakistani Taliban; but why?

A key factor in Bush administration’s Afghan policy was to get Pakistan to make the war against Taliban its own war and not consider it as an American war that can be used to further Pakistan’s goals. By creating Pakistani Taliban US and Brits would be able to pit Pakistan’s military against the Taliban in general and eventually against the Pushtuns to the extent that Pakistani military could be used to do the fighting in Afghanistan. Furthermore, a side benefit of this program would be, if the Taliban were to take over some areas in Pakistan and a part of the capital, then this would provide a sufficient basis for the US to bomb Pakistani nuclear installations and cease their nuclear weapons. There were serious war plans and military exercises conducted by US forces for this scenario. However, unexpected competence of the Pakistani intelligence and ability of the Musharraf government to convince Karzai to through the two Brits out, put a damper on the CIA-MI5 plan. This kind of policy is typical of Bush administration: grandiose, fuzzy and inconsiderate of human life. I think it is the details of this plan, crating and nurturing Pakistani Taliban, that Panetta has uncovered and reported to congress.