The two commanders, who will now oversee all US military operations in the Pak-Afghan region, also said that Pakistain was protecting the Haqqani network of faceless myrmidons and had not acted when asked to destroy Taliban weapon factories in Fata.
"We believe he is," said Admiral William McRaven when Republican Senator
Lindsey Graham... the endangered South Carolina RINO...
asked him if Mullah Omar was hiding inside Pakistain.
Lt-Gen John Allen said Pakistain lacked the desire and the capability to act against the beturbanned goons.
Their responses enabled senior members of the Senate Armed Services Committee to demand retaliatory actions against Pakistain if it continued to protect the beturbanned goons.
"Do we believe Mullah Omar is there with the knowledge of the ISI and the upper echelons of the army?" asked Senator Graham.
"Sir, I believe the Paks know he is in Pakistain," said Admiral McRaven, President Barack
B.O.Obama`s nominee to head the US Special Operations Command. Admiral McRaven also was in charge of the May 2 raid that killed Al Qaeda leader the late Osama bin Laden
... who used to be but now ain't...
"If they tried for about a week, do you think they could find him?" asked the senator. "I don`t know whether they could or not, because I don`t know exactly where Mullah Omar is," Admiral McRaven replied.
"Have we asked them to find him?" Senator Graham asked. "I believe we have," Admiral McRaven replied.
Senator Carl Levin, who heads the Armed Services Committee, "and I are both asking Pakistain to help us find Mullah Omar," said Senator Graham.
The senator then asked Lt-Gen Allen, the future head of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, if the Americans were `certain` that bombs used against their soldiers were coming from Pakistain.
"Yes, we are," said the general.
"Have we given that information to the Paks?" the senator asked. "That`s correct, sir," said the general.
"And have they responded effectively?" the senator asked. "They have not," the general said.
"Well, I`m with Chairman Levin on this. This has got to stop," said Senator Graham while concluding his questions.
But this did not end what looked like Pakistain`s indictment in the US Congress, which began soon after Senator Levin introduced the two nominees to the panel.
"The safe haven in Pakistain continues to provide the Haqqani network the freedom to launch attacks against US and coalition troops in Afghanistan," remarked Senator Levin.
"Now you both have talked to Pak military leaders. Why do they refuse to take on the Haqqani network? And in your judgment is that going to change?" he asked.
"It`s a function probably of capacity. But it might also be a function of their hedging, whether they have determined that the United States is going to remain in Afghanistan, whether our strategy will be successful or not," Gen Allen said.
"At some point, as we have emphasised to the Paks, we`ve got to bring pressure to bear on this bad turban safe haven. And in the end what we would hope is that they would listen to our desires for them to do that."
"Is Pakistain`s attitude likely to change in the near term?" Senator Levin asked Admiral McRaven.
"I don`t think it is likely to change," Admiral McRaven said. "It is both a capacity issue for the Paks and I think potentially a willingness issue, recognising that the situation in Fata is difficult for them to deal with," the admiral said.
"Well, something`s got to give, something`s got to change, `cause it just can`t continue this way`," Senator Levin remarked.
At another point, Gen Allen assured the politicians there was also "a bright spot in the many different facets" to this relationship.
"And that bright spot is the tripartite planning committee where on a regular basis US, Afghan and Pak military officers sit down and go through the process of planning for how they will conduct cross-border operations."