US embassy warns of possible anti-American protests in Pakistan

The US embassy in Islamabad has warned American nationals in Pakistan against possible anti-American protests after a US Senate committee's report called the CIA interrogation of Al Qaeda suspects "brutal".

The report released Tuesday said CIA repeatedly misled the public, Congress and the White House about its aggressive questioning and torture on detainees after the Sep 11, 2001, attacks on the US.

"US citizens in Pakistan should be aware that the release of declassified versions of the executive summary, findings, and conclusions of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence's study on the CIA's Rendition, Detention and Interrogation programme could prompt anti-US protests and violence against US interests, including private US citizens," the US embassy said.

"American citizens should pay attention to their surroundings and take appropriate safety precautions, including avoiding demonstrations or confrontational situations," Xinhua quoted the embassy as saying in a statement.

It advised the Americans to monitor the situation via local media and the embassy's website, stay clear of all known demonstrations, keep a low profile, avoid large gatherings, and monitor the embassy website for updates.

"The US embassy in Pakistan urges American citizens to vary their times and routes when traveling anywhere in Pakistan, and to avoid traveling to such locations that would allow other persons to predict when and where they will be."

Depending on ongoing security assessments, and as part of routine operational security measures, the US mission occasionally places areas such as hotels, markets, airports, or restaurants off limits to official personnel, the statement said.

The CIA downplayed the brutality of the interrogations and exaggerated the usefulness of the information it gathered, including its role in setting in motion the US raid that killed Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, said the Senate Intelligence Committee report.

The 6,000-page report also found that the "Enhanced Interrogation Techniques" programme escaped effective scrutiny by outsiders long after its inception in 2002, with CIA records showing that President George W. Bush was never fully briefed by the agency on torturous interrogation techniques until 2006.