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Al-Qaida: Clinton Blasts Pakistan
US Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton is suggesting that Pakistan’s government has squandered chances to kill or capture al-Qaida leaders.
She made the remark in an interview yesterday with Pakistani journalists during a trip to the city of Lahore. She later flew to the capital, Islamabad, for talks with army chief and additional meetings.
Clinton said al-Qaida has used Pakistan as a haven since 2002. She said she finds it hard to believe that nobody in Pakistan’s government knows where the leaders of Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network are hiding.
She also said she finds it hard to believe that Pakistani authorities couldn’t “get them” if they wanted to.
Clinton said that Pakistan had little choice but to take a more aggressive approach to combating the Pakistani Taliban and other insurgents that threaten to destabilize the country.
With the country reeling from Wednesday’s devastating bombing that killed at least 105 people in Peshawar, Clinton engaged in an intense give-and-take with students at the Government College of Lahore, insisting that inaction by the government would have ceded ground to terrorists.
“If you want to see your territory shrink, that’s your choice,” she said, adding that she believed it would be a bad choice.
Dozens of students rushed to line up for the microphone when the session began. Their questions were not hostile, but showed a strong sense of doubt that the U.S. can be a reliable and trusted partner for Pakistan.
Clinton met with the students on the second day of a three-day visit to Pakistan, her first as secretary of state. The Peshawar bombing, set off in a market crowded with women and children, appeared timed to overshadow her arrival. It was the deadliest attack in Pakistan since 2007.
Clinton likened Pakistan’s situation — with Taliban forces taking over substantial swaths of land in the Swat valley and in areas along the Afghan border — to a theoretical advance of terrorists into the United States from across the Canadian border.
It would be unthinkable, she said, for the U.S. government to decide, “Let them have Washington (state)” first, then Montana, then the sparsely populated Dakotas, because those states are far from the major centers of population and power on the East Coast.
Clinton was responding to a student who suggested that Washington was forcing Pakistan to use military force on its own territory. It was one of several questions from the students that raised doubts about the relationship between the United States and Pakistan.
During her hour-long appearance at the college, Clinton stressed that a key purpose of her three-day visit to Pakistan, which began Wednesday, was to reach out to ordinary Pakistanis and urge a better effort to bridge differences and improve mutual understanding.
“We are now at a point where we can chart a different course,” she said, referring to past differences over an absence of democracy in Pakistan and Pakistani association with the Taliban in Afghanistan.
As a way of repudiating past U.S. policies toward Pakistan, Clinton told the students “there is a huge difference” between the Obama administration’s approach and that of former President George W. Bush.
“I spent my entire eight years in the Senate opposing him,” she said to a burst of applause from the audience of several hundred students. “So, to me, it’s like daylight and dark.”
Although Clinton said she was making a priority of engaging frankly and openly on her visit, she declined to talk about a subject that has stirred some of the strongest feelings of anti-Americanism here — U.S. drone aircraft attacks against extremist targets on the Pakistan side of the Afghan border.
The Obama administration routinely refuses to acknowledge publicly that the attacks are taking place.
“There is a war going on,” she said, and the U.S. wants to help Pakistan be successful.
The drone attacks have killed a number of Pakistani civilians, while also reportedly succeeding in eliminating some high-level Taliban and other extremist group leaders.
At the same time, though, the U.S. has been providing Pakistani commanders with video images and target information from its military drones as Pakistan’s army pushes its ground offensive in Waziristan, U.S. officials said earlier this week.
Also sensitive is the way the U.S. has handled millions of dollars in aid to the Pakistani military. The U.S. in recent months has rushed helicopters and other military equipment to the country as Islamabad has launched its counterinsurgency offensives in Swat Valley and South Waziristan.
The administration sped the delivery of 10 Mi-17 troop transport helicopters starting in June, and in July sent 200 night vision goggles, nearly more than 9,000 sets of body armor, several hundred radios and other equipment.
“We’ve put military assistance to Pakistan on a wartime footing,” Lt. Col. Mark Wright, a Pentagon spokesman, said Thursday. “We are doing everything within our power to assist Pakistan in improving its counterinsurgency capability.”
This year the Pentagon plans to spend more than $500 million on arms and equipment for Islamabad as well as training Pakistan’s military in counterinsurgency tactics. Still, Pakistani officials last month complained that Congress attached too many conditions to the surge in aid.
Before flying to Lahore from Islamabad, Clinton visited the Bari Imam shrine, named after Shah Abdul Latif Kazmi, a 17th century Sufi saint who died in 1705 and later came to be known as the patron saint of Islamabad. A suicide bomber struck the shrine in May 2005, killing a number of people.
Officers of the Nigerian Air Force have met with senior officials of the United States Government and representatives of Messrs Bell Textron to fast-track the acquisition of 12 AH-1Z attack helicopters.
The meeting took place during a Programme Management Review meeting led by the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, from 5 to 6 January 2026 in San Diego, California, United States.
A statement by the NAF spokesperson, Ehimen Ejodame, yesterday, said the meeting focused on assessing the status of the helicopter acquisition and measures to ensure the timely delivery of the 12 AH-1Z platforms.
According to the statement, Aneke said the review was aimed at strengthening programme oversight, accountability and adherence to agreed timelines and budget.
“In a strategic move to enhance the operational capacity of the Nigerian Air Force, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, led a Programme Management Review meeting with senior United States Government officials and representatives of Messrs Bell Textron from 5 to 6 January 2026 in San Diego, California, USA.
“The engagement focused on fast-tracking the acquisition of 12 AH-1Z attack helicopters, a critical capability enhancement aligned with the CAS’s Command Philosophy of building and sustaining a highly motivated, professional, and mission-ready force capable of delivering decisive airpower effects in synergy with surface forces for the attainment of national security objectives, ” the statement partly read.
Aneke expressed appreciation to the United States Government and Messrs Bell Textron for their continued cooperation, professionalism, and transparency in the execution of the helicopter acquisition programme.
He noted that the structured review reflects the NAF’s deliberate emphasis on programme discipline, accountability, and results.
“We deeply value the professionalism and openness demonstrated throughout this process, and we remain fully committed to working closely with our partners to ensure the timely and successful delivery of these platforms,” the CAS stated.
The CAS further emphasised that the acquisition of the AH-1Z helicopters represents more than a platform upgrade, describing it as a reflection of the enduring defence cooperation between Nigeria and the United States.
According to him, the programme underscores a shared responsibility for regional and global security, built on mutual trust, shared values, and a common vision for peace and stability.
“This partnership speaks to our collective resolve to confront evolving security challenges through collaboration and sustained capability development,” he added.
Reaffirming the NAF’s sense of urgency and commitment, Air Marshal Aneke assured the US team that his administration would take all necessary measures to ensure the helicopters are delivered in the shortest possible time.
He also charged the programme management team to work smartly and proactively to complete production on schedule and within budget.
“Timelines and standards must be met concurrently. We must remain focused, innovative, and solutions-driven,” the CAS stressed.
The CAS expressed profound gratitude to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu, for his unwavering support to the Nigerian Air Force.
He noted that the acquisition of the AH-1Z helicopters would significantly enhance the NAF’s combat capability, operational efficiency, and mission readiness, thereby strengthening the Service’s ability to deliver decisive airpower in support of national security and stability.
He added that the advanced capabilities of the helicopters would enable the Nigerian Air Force to conduct highly precise operations, minimise collateral damage, and provide timely and effective support to ground forces, ultimately saving lives and protecting property across affected communities.
The CAS reassured Nigerians of the NAF’s unwavering commitment to eliminating terrorist and criminal threats with professionalism, restraint, and accountability, while sustaining public trust and confidence in the Service’s operations.
Recall that Nigeria’s purchase of 12 AH-1Z attack helicopters was first approved by the United States government in April 2022, when the U.S. State Department, through the Defence Security Cooperation Agency, cleared a possible Foreign Military Sale of the helicopters and related equipment to the Government of Nigeria.
According to Military Africa, the formal production and delivery contract for the 12 AH-1Z helicopters, valued at $455 million, was awarded to Bell Textron on 12 March 2024 by the U.S. Department of Defence.
The Niger Delta advocacy group, the 21st Century Youths of Niger Delta and Agitators with Conscience (21st CYNDAC), has called on the National Assembly to expedite consideration and approval of the 2025 budget of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to enable the Commission accelerate its development programmes across the region.
In a statement issued yesterday by its Coordinator, Izon Ebi, the group said swift passage of the budget would empower the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the NDDC, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, to fully implement his renewed developmental strategy and extend projects to all target communities in the Niger Delta.
The group recalled that the NDDC, on December 30, 2025, presented a ?1.75 trillion budget proposal for the 2025 fiscal year to the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Explaining the proposal, Ogbuku had noted that the 2025 budget is about nine per cent lower than the ?1.985 trillion proposed and appropriated for the 2024 fiscal year.
He said the ?1.75 trillion estimate comprises ?776.5 billion as Federal Government contribution, ?752.8 billion from oil companies, ?109.4 billion as revenue brought forward from 2024, ?53.67 billion as recoveries from Federal Government agencies, and ?8.35 billion as internally generated revenue.
The group praised Ogbuku’s leadership, describing him as having transformed the NDDC into “a beacon of renewed hope” for the Niger Delta region.
The group said it was impressed by what it called Ogbuku’s charismatic leadership, grassroots engagement and developmental drive, which it noted align with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
According to the group, Ogbuku’s consultations with traditional rulers and stakeholders across the Niger Delta have helped identify priority needs of communities, strengthened collaboration in the fight against crude oil theft and contributed to a noticeable decline in criminal activities in the oil and gas sector.
The statement also highlighted the Commission’s partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) on health insurance and medical outreach programmes, improved monitoring and supervision of projects, and the deployment of solar-powered streetlights across communities, which it said has enhanced security and economic activities at night.
The group urged lawmakers to act swiftly on the budget, stressing that timely approval would further boost development, peace and stability in the Niger Delta.
It also announced that it had conferred on Ogbuku the award of “Extraordinary Leader of 2025 in the Niger Delta Region.”
Port Harcourt based media practitioners under the aegis of Port Harcourt Press, have urged the Rivers State Police Command to arrest and prosecute all suspects involved in the recent attack and harassment of Arise TV crew in Port Harcourt.
The media practitioners, at a World press conference in Port Harcourt, described as dangerous the continuous harassment of journalists by various political actors in the ongoing political crisis in the State.
The text of the briefing which was read by a former State Commissioner for information and Communications and federal lawmaker in the State, Hon. Ogbonna Nwuke, described as condemnable the attack on the Arise TV crew by suspected political thugs in Port Harcourt, while conducting an interview with Dr Leloonu Nwibubasa, a former commissioner in the State.
According to him, “That harrowing event of Friday, January 2, where the Arise TV crew were brutally attacked by armed men in a hotel in Port Harcourt while conducting interview with Dr Leloonu Nwibubasa, former Honourable Commissioner for Employment Generation and Empowerment, smacks of nothing but act of intimidation, threat to both the Nigerian media and human lives especially in the forceful carting away of broadcast equipment.”
The group further noted that the attack was not only an insult on the press freedom but on the larger society.
The group regretted the inability of the Police to arrest and bring to book the perpetrators of the act till date, warning that it may be forced to boycott police activities if those involved are not arrested and brought to book.
“From all indications, the police appear to be playing to the gallery. While the broadcast equipment were reportedly recovered, no definite arrest have been made. This body, therefore, demands an urgent and thorough investigation of this matter and those find culpable brought to justice within two weeks.
“Failure to address this issue with the urgency it requires and not carrying out satisfactory actions as required in their prosecution will attract sanctions such as withdrawal of coverage of all police activities in Rivers State by media organisations and journalists as we stand in solidarity with the NUJ,” the group warned.
John Bibor
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