Report: CIA controls Afghan paramilitary

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- A paramilitary force of 3,000 Afghans created by the CIA secretly targets al-Qaida and Taliban forces in Pakistan, a source told CNN Wednesday.

"You're talking about one of the finest Afghan fighting forces, which has made major contributions to security and stability," the official told CNN on condition of anonymity.

The official said the Counter-terrorism Pursuit Teams -- which were first disclosed in Bob Woodward's new book, "Obama's Wars" -- are "well-trained" and "effective."

In the book, Woodward quotes Obama as saying, "We need to make clear to people that the cancer is in Pakistan."

But Pakistani officials deny the existence of such forces.

"Pakistan will never allow boots on its soil," Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit told CNN. "This is one of our red lines."

A Pakistani military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told CNN it is "next to impossible for a group of people to enter Pakistan to chase al-Qaida and Taliban militants."