NATO/Jordan hookups

Wikileaks has been making itself useful over the past few months, discovering that the password to a now-offline NATO document in a Pentagon repository used to give the official line on the war in Afghanistan to their PR flacks was in fact “progress”, and the document had some interesting things to not say:

Among the revelations, is Jordan's presence as secret member of the US lead occupation force, the ISAF.

The document states NATO Public Affairs Officers are to keep Jordan's involvement secret. Publicly, Jordan withdrew in 2001 and the country does not appear on this month's public list of ISAF member states.

Jordan is a middle eastern monarchy, backed by the US, and historically the CIA's closest partner in its extraordinary rendition program. According to a January 2007 report into the country by UN Special Rapporteur, Manfred Nowak, the “practice of torture is routine”…

Which is pretty much what every one suspected. Similarly:

Only if pressed: ISAF forces are frequently fired at from inside Pakistan, very close to the border. In some cases defensive fire is required, against specific threats. Wherever possible, such fire is pre-coordinated with the Pakistani military.

(c/o Jeff Nye on RISKS.)