A Call to Jihad, Answered in America

By ANDREA ELLIOTT

MINNEAPOLIS — The Carlson School of Management rises from the asphalt like a monument to capitalist ambition. Stock prices race across an electronic ticker near a sleek entrance and the atrium soars skyward, as if lifting the aspirations of its students. The school’s plucky motto is “Nowhere but here.”

For a group of students who often met at the school, on the University of Minnesota campus, those words seemed especially fitting. They had fled Somalia as small boys, escaping a catastrophic civil war. They came of age as refugees in Minneapolis, embracing basketball and the prom, hip-hop and the Mall of America. By the time they reached college, their dreams seemed within grasp: one planned to become a doctor; another, an entrepreneur.

But last year, in a study room on the first floor of Carlson, the men turned their energies to a different enterprise.

“Why are we sitting around in America, doing nothing for our people?” one of the men, Mohamoud Hassan, a skinny 23-year-old engineering major, pressed his friends.

In November, Mr. Hassan and two other students dropped out of college and left for Somalia, the homeland they barely knew. Word soon spread that they had joined the Shabaab, a militant Islamist group aligned with Al Qaeda that is fighting to overthrow the fragile Somali government.

The students are among more than 20 young Americans who are the focus of what may be the most significant domestic terrorism investigation since Sept. 11. One of the men, Shirwa Ahmed, blew himself up in Somalia in October, becoming the first known American suicide bomber. The director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Robert M. Mueller, has said Mr. Ahmed was “radicalized in his hometown in Minnesota.”

An examination by The New York Times, based on interviews with close friends and relatives of the men, law enforcement officials and lawyers, as well as access to live phone calls and Facebook messages between the men and their friends in the United States, reveals how a far-flung jihadist movement found a foothold in America’s heartland.

The men appear to have been motivated by a complex mix of politics and faith, and their communications show how some are trying to recruit other young Americans to their cause.

The case represents the largest group of American citizens suspected of joining an extremist movement affiliated with Al Qaeda. Although friends say the men have never thought of carrying out attacks in the United States, F.B.I. officials worry that with their training, ideology and American passports, there is a real danger that they could.

“This case is unlike anything we have encountered,” said Ralph S. Boelter, the special agent in charge of the F.B.I.’s Minneapolis office, which is leading the investigation.

Most of the men are Somali refugees who left the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul in two waves, starting in late 2007. While religious devotion may have predisposed them to sympathize with the Islamist cause in Somalia, it took a major geopolitical event — the Ethiopian invasion of their homeland in 2006 — to spur them to join what they saw as a legitimate resistance movement, said friends of the men.

For many of the men, the path to Somalia offered something personal as well — a sense of adventure, purpose and even renewal. In the first wave of Somalis who left were men whose uprooted lives resembled those of immigrants in Europe who have joined the jihad. They faced barriers of race and class, religion and language. Mr. Ahmed, the 26-year-old suicide bomber, struggled at community colleges before dropping out. His friend Zakaria Maruf, 30, fell in with a violent street gang and later stocked shelves at a Wal-Mart.

If failure had shadowed this first group of men, the young Minnesotans who followed them to Somalia were succeeding in America. Mr. Hassan, the engineering student, was a rising star in his college community. Another of the men was a pre-med student who had once set his sights on an internship at the Mayo Clinic. They did not leave the United States for a lack of opportunity, their friends said; if anything, they seemed driven by unfulfilled ambition.

“Now they feel important,” said one friend, who remains in contact with the men and, like others, would only speak anonymously because of the investigation.

The case has forced federal agents and terrorism analysts to rethink some of their most basic assumptions about the vulnerability of Muslim immigrants in the United States to the lure of militant Islam. For years, it seemed that “homegrown” terrorism was largely a problem in European countries like Britain and France, where Muslim immigrants had failed to prosper economically or integrate culturally. By contrast, experts believed that the successful assimilation of foreign-born Muslims in the United States had largely immunized them from the appeal of radical ideologies.

The story of the Twin Cities men does not lend itself to facile categorizations. They make up a minuscule percentage of their Somali-American community, and it is unclear whether their transformation reflects any broader trend. Nor are they especially representative of the wider Muslim immigrant population, which has enjoyed a stable and largely middle-class existence.

Uighurs called for jihad, pulled out knives

"The imam then ended the prayers, adding: 'We will definitely not follow you. Get out!'" Good for him, although it is more likely that his disapproval was motivated by political expediency rather than by some deep conviction that Muslims must not wage war in the name of Islam -- after all, the Uighurs who have been fighting the Han Chinese, as well as the ones who ended up in Afghanistan and then in Guantanamo, must have learned about jihad somewhere.

"Uighurs called for 'jihad,'" from AFP, July 14 (thanks to James):

BEIJING - THREE Uighur men tried to incite other Muslims to launch a 'jihad' and attacked a mosque security guard before police shot and killed two of them, state media reported on Tuesday.

The incident began when around 150 Muslims were praying in a mosque in Urumqi, the capital of the northwest Xinjiang region on Monday, Xinhua news agency said, citing an unnamed imam who was giving a service at the time.

One man stood up and tried to take over the prayers but was stopped, the imam told Xinhua. A few minutes later the man reportedly stood up holding a green banner and started calling for a 'jihad'.

The imam then ended the prayers, adding: 'We will definitely not follow you. Get out!", according to Xinhua.

As the man was being ordered from the mosque, two other men took out three 50 centimetre long knives from a bag, Xinhua said.

Security guards then tried to stop the men. One of the guards, aged in his 40s who did not want to give his name, said the group chased him out of the mosque wielding the knives where they met patrolling police, Xinhua said.

Police fired warnings shots to try to stop the men before shooting at the three, killing two and injuring one.

A government statement released on Monday soon after the attack said: 'Police shot and killed two suspected lawbreakers and injured one suspected lawbreaker using legal means.' The statement said the three Uighurs were trying to attack another person from the Uighur minority group.

The government's statement and the Xinhua report conflicted with accounts by two Uighurs who said they witnessed the incident from 50 metres away and that three Uighur men had been trying to attack security forces. 'They hacked at the soldiers with big knives and then they were shot,' said one of the witnesses, who said the incident took place across the street from a mosque....

CIA - Al-Qaeda Operative Employed in States as Bosnian Muslim Diplomat

Al-Qaeda Operative Employed in States as Bosnian Muslim Diplomat

Sep 17th, 2008 | By De-Construct.net | In Current

Safet Catovic

Abdel Kadeer Moktari Abu Mali

Main Al-Qaeda Operative for the Balkans Enjoys a Diplomatic Cover

Al-Qaeda operative Safet Catovic [pdf. document] is employed as a counselor in one of three diplomatic-consular offices of the Bosnian federation in U.S., the experts for radical Islam said, as reported by the Serbian media.

The man regarded by the anti-terrorist experts as a key figure of the terrorist Islamic network in the Muslim part of Bosnia is considered a coordinator of all the extremist terrorist actions and operations conducted from the Balkan cells of the Islamic terrorist organizations.

“The key al-Qaeda operative for the Balkans, Safet Catovic works as an ‘adviser’ in a Bosnian Muslim diplomatic office in the United States,” said Darko Trifunovic, professor at Belgrade Faculty of Security.

“Together with Muhamed Sacirbey, Catovic was running the non-governmental organization Global Medical Fund, which was involved in bringing over [to former Yugoslavia] mujahedin mercenaries — the operation known under the codename Winter ‘94,” Trifunovic said.

El Mujahedin and Summer Jihad Camp in the Heart of U.S.

The El Mujahedin unit comprised of Arab mercenaries sent over to Bosnia-Herzegovina to help Izetbegovic exterminate the Serbs during Bosnian civil war counted 3,500 troops. Overall, it is estimated that there were 10,000-15,000 Muslim mercenaries from the Islamic countries operating in Bosnia-Herzegovina during the 1992-1995 civil war. Many were promptly given citizenship by the Izetbegovic regime and settled on the property of the ethnically cleansed Serb population after the war.

“On August 2001, Safet Catovic organized the summer Jihad Camp at the place where one of the planes which targeted the twin towers was downed, together with imam Sirai Fahai, suspect in the first attack on New York Trade Center, in 1993″, Trifunovic explained.

One of Serbia’s main anti-terrorism experts isn’t the only one who raised the red flag over the man behind a Bosnian Muslim “diplomatic counselor”. Bosnia’s Dzevad Galijasevic also claims Catovic is an intruder, hiding behind the false identity.

“Catovic is of African-Asian origin, most likely from Algeria. He is a member of the GIA (Group Islamic of Algeria). Safet Abid Catovic is a false identity he took from the Bosnian Muslim who died in 1992. He is a very important link in the chain, a link between the formal part of the [Bosnian Muslim] government and the informal organizational units,” Dzevad Galijasevic told Bosnian Serb Glas Srpske.

He added that Catovic is probably Abdel Kadeer Moktari Abu Mali, former commander of the Bosnian El Mujahedin unit.

However, Bosnian Muslim officials claim that after his arrival to war-torn Bosnia and Herzegovina, Safet Catovic was first issued documents on the name Halid Ibn Abdullah, after which he changed his last name first to Catic (Chatich) and then to Catovic (Chatovich), while all the other data in his documents remained unchanged.

Islamic and American Mercenaries Work Hand-in-Hand in the Balkans

Galijasevic further revealed that this al-Qaeda mercenary was approached in Bosnia by the members of the American mercenary organization MPRI — Military Professional Resources Incorporated — an unofficial Pentagon army with more four-star-generals than the official U.S. Army, for training and militarily aiding terrorists in civil wars around the world, involved on the Croat side in extermination of Krajina Serbs, on the Kosovo Albanian side in terrorizing Serbian police and civilian population to trigger the civil war, on the Bosnian Muslim side to push the Serbs out of most of Bosnia-Herzegovina, on the Georgian side to try to ethnically cleanse South Ossetia and Abkhazia in the recent assault, etc. At the request of a high U.S. official, Catovic was pulled to United States because of the information he possessed and, since then, he is officially an employee of Bosnian Muslim diplomatic-consular office.

“He’s an operative who links troops on the ground with the leadership, financial circles and headquarters. He is always in the positions of the informal nature, at the posts of the military attache, adviser, etc,” Galijasevic stressed.

Assertions [.pdf document] that Catovic is the key al-Qaeda operative for the Balkans, in Bosnia-Herzegovina, are not new. It is assumed that the American security services also possess the information about Catovic to whom Bosnian Muslim leadership issued false documents, conveniently providing him with the identity of a dead man.

Catovic was a deputy director of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Permanent Mission in the UN, and he was also a spokesman for two Islamic “humanitarian” organizations FBI closed due to terrorist activities: Benevolence International Federation and the Global Relief Agency.

According to the earlier information, it was Catovic who enabled Husein Zivalj and Hasan Chengic to get in contact with the international Islamic organization TWRA, Faith’s Third World Relief Agency, through which Bosnian Muslim regime started smuggling weapons for the Muslim army at the start of the Bosnian civil war, in 1992.

http://de-construct.net/e-zine/?p=2751

(Debka ist eine professionelle Informationsquelle zur Terrorbekämpfung)

New Jihadist Army Forming in Balkans

June 24, 2002, 5:12 PM (GMT+02:00)

The next radical Islamic terror attack in America could well originate in a corner of the Balkans, where a new jihad force is taking shape quietly and unhindered. In its last issue, published on Friday, June 21, DEBKA-Net-Weekly’s military sources reported that close to 20,000 fighters, battled-hardened veterans and eager young recruits, are already under arms, with more joining up all the time.

An Islamist bloc of nations (whose formation has been reported in the past byDEBKAfile) - made up of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, al Qaeda and Hizballah, with active Palestinian support - is behind the new Muslim Balkan army. Saudi, Iranian and Iraqi intelligence services and al Qaeda operations officers in Macedonia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Albania are tasked with recruitment, training and organization. The units are armed with modern weaponry, including missiles and artillery, while handpicked young Muslim recruits have been sent to sign up at private flying schools, especially in the CzechRepublic and Bulgaria, as the nucleus of an air force.

Having learned the lessons of the war in Afghanistan, planners and commanders keep their heads well down, their training bases and facilities well hidden.

Recruitment is brisk among the ethnic Albanian Muslim populations of Kosovo, Macedonia and Bosnia, as well as Albania proper. Hundreds of mosques are sprouting in these countries, funded from deep Saudi pockets. The mosques open cultural societies to attract boys aged 15 to 16 and enroll them at medressas which, like their Pakistani prototypes, integrate military training in their curricula. The result is an expanding recruiting pool for terrorists, the same as Pakistan’s medressas, before the US invasion of Afghanistan.

Rewarding terrorism, deception in Kosovo

---

Posted: January 14, 2008
1:00 am Eastern

By Andy Wilcoxson
© 2008 

Rewarding terrorism, deception in Kosovo

---

Posted: January 14, 2008
1:00 am Eastern

By Andy Wilcoxson
© 2008 

Pirates fire on US cruise ship in hijack attempt

NAIROBI, Kenya – The luxury American cruise ship teeming with hundreds of tourists just might have been too much for the Somali pirates to resist.

But the bandits, riding in two skiffs and firing rifle shots at the gleaming ship, were outrun in minutes when the captain of M/S Nautica gunned the engine and sped away in the Gulf of Aden, a spokesman for the company said Tuesday.

Still, the implications had the pirates hijacked the ship add a new dimension to the piracy scourge as NATO foreign ministers groped for solutions at a meeting in Brussels and the United Nations extended an international piracy-fighting mandate for another year.

The potential for massive ransom payments from the families of hundreds of rich tourists on a pleasure cruise may encourage similar attempts, especially following the successful capture in recent weeks of a Ukrainian cargo ship laden with tanks and a Saudi oil tanker.

And the brazen attack also raises questions: What was a cruise ship doing in the pirate-infested waters of the Gulf of Aden? How many such targets are sailing these seas, and how can they be protected?

Even the pirates' motives were in question: they could simply have been testing the defenses of the massive ship, rather than making a real effort to hijack it.

Sunday's attack on the M/S Nautica comes several weeks after a NATO mission served mainly to underscore the impotence of the world community: A handful of Western ships can do little to prevent attacks in a vast sea, and without the right to board hijacked vessels, they can only watch as the booty is towed to port.

"It is very fortunate that the liner managed to escape," said Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Malaysia, urging all ships to remain vigilant in the area.

Some of the world's leading cruise companies said Tuesday they are considering changing their itineraries to avoid going near the coast of Somalia following news of the weekend attack.

Cunard's public relations manager Eric Flounders said the company has two liners, the Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria, scheduled to go through the Gulf of Aden sometime in March but that the company "will obviously consider changing the itinerary" should the situation not improve.

And P&O Cruises' PR Michele Andjel said the company is considering whether to reroute the Arcadia, which is due around the Gulf of Aden sometime in January.

Lt. Nathan Christensen, a Bahrain-based spokesman for the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, said 21,000 ships cross the Gulf of Aden every year, but he did not have a figure for how many cruise liners are included in that figure.

"We are not advising ships to go a different way, but we do advise to go through the international corridor within the Gulf of Aden," Christensen said, referring to a security corridor, patrolled by the international coalition.

The Nautica is not the first pleasure boat to be attacked.

The luxury yacht Le Ponant was attacked earlier this year, and pirates opened fire in 2005 on the Seabourn Spirit about 100 miles (160 kilometers) off the Somali coast. The faster cruise ship managed to escape, and used a long-range acoustic device — which blasts a painful wave of sound — to distract the pirates.

The Nautica escaped by outrunning the pirates, speeding up as two small pirate skiffs tried to close in, said Tim Rubacky, spokesman for Oceania Cruises, Inc., which owns the Nautica. He said one of the skiffs made it within 300 yards (275 meters) and fired eight rifle shots at the vessel before trailing off.

"When the pirates were sighted, the captain went on the public address system and asked passengers to remain in the interior spaces of the ship and wait until he gave further instructions," he said. "Within five minutes, it was over."

He noted that the ship, which communicates with international coalition forces, will return through the Gulf of Aden. Asked why the ship will re-enter pirate-infested waters, Rubacky said: "We believe this was an isolated incident."

"M/S Nautica is well-equipped to deal with these situations and the crew is well-trained," he said, but he would not comment on the specifics of their training.

Rubacky refused to comment on whether there are weapons or other material aboard the ship that could help the ship's security in a hijacking.

The Nautica was on a 32-day cruise from Rome to Singapore, with stops at ports in Italy, Egypt, Oman, Dubai, India, Malaysia and Thailand, according to Oceania's Web site. Such an itinerary requires the ship to travel through the dangerous waters of the Gulf of Aden.

The liner arrived in the southern Oman port city of Salalah on Monday morning, and the passengers toured the city before leaving for the capital, Muscat, that evening, an official of the Oman Tourism Ministry said Tuesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Tuesday focused on demands for NATO to act amid growing alarm over the pirate attacks, which have continued unabated despite NATO's naval mission over the past six weeks.

Also Tuesday, the U.N. Security Council extended for another year its authorization for countries to enter Somalia's territorial waters, with advance notice, and use "all necessary means" to stop piracy and armed robbery at sea.

Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991, and pirates have taken advantage of the country's lawlessness to launch attacks on foreign shipping from the Somali coast.

In two if the most daring attacks, pirates seized a Ukrainian freighter loaded with 33 battle tanks in September, and on Nov. 15, a Saudi oil tanker carrying $100 million worth of crude oil.

On Tuesday, a Somali pirate spokesman said his group will release the Ukrainian ship within the next two days.

Sugule Ali told The Associated Press by satellite phone on Tuesday a ransom agreement had been reached, but would not say how much. The pirates had originally asked for $20 million when they hijacked the MV Faina.

"Once we receive this payment, we will also make sure that all our colleagues on ship reach land safely, then the release will take place," Ali said.

___

Associated Press writers Katharine Houreld in Nairobi, Kenya, Pan Pylas in London, Carley Petesch in New York, John Heilprin at the United Nations, Barbara Surk in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Saeed al-Nahdy in Muscat, Oman, contributed to this report.

NYPD Sergeant Arrested on Federal Charges


NEW YORK (AP)  -- A city police sergeant was arrested Thursday on charges of illegally accessing the FBI terrorist watch list to help a Canadian acquaintance win a child-custody dispute.

Sgt. Haytham Khalil, 34, of Brooklyn was released on $20,000 bail after a brief appearance before a federal magistrate judge in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.

His lawyer, Andrew Quinn, did not immediately return a telephone call.

Khalil was charged with accessing a computer without authorization in December 2007 to obtain information from the FBI's National Crime Information Center.

The charge stemmed from a probe that began in April, when a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer told the FBI legal attache in Ottawa that the Canadian force had discovered that a Canadian citizen had a document identifying an individual as being on a terrorist watch list.

The Canadian was identified in court papers only as ``Individual 1.''

Investigators traced the document to a computer search that Khalil had made while borrowing the sign-on identification of an officer who was authorized to use the computer database in which the watch list could be found, authorities said.

Last month, the acquaintance of Khalil who received the terrorist watch list document told the FBI that Khalil obtained the information after learning of the custody dispute, according to a court complaint filed by the FBI.

The acquaintance then gave it to a lawyer to be used in the custody proceeding, the complaint said.

The charge of accessing a computer without authorization carries a potential sentence of a year in prison.

TM & Copyright 2008 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO & EYE Logo TM & Copyright 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. TheAssociated Press contributed to this report.

Charity funding terror: Sri Lanka

Aaron Lynett/National Post Raj Guna-nathan, President and Coordinator of the Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation - Canada, poses in his office on the upper floor of the Liberty Square Shopping Plaza at Eglinton and Kennedy Rd. Aaron Lynett/National Post Raj Guna-nathan, President and Coordinator of the Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation - Canada, poses in his office on the upper floor of the Liberty Square Shopping Plaza at Eglinton and Kennedy Rd.

TORONTO -- Liberty Square Shopping Plaza has a South Asian convenience store and a branch of the Toronto Public Library, but the tenant that has brought this busy strip mall international notoriety is upstairs above a jewellery store.

The Tamils Rehabilitation Organization works out of a cramped second-floor office with a big Canadian flag over the window. And while its official mission is humanitarian, governments in three countries suspect it serves a shadier purpose.

RCMP counterterrorism investigators and Canada Revenue Agency charity regulators accuse the group of having ties to the Sri Lankan separatist guerrillas called the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, better known as the Tamil Tigers.

"We believe that there are reasonable grounds for concern that TRO (Canada) operates for purposes that conflict with Canadian public policy," the head of Canada's charities directorate wrote in a letter to the group. "More specifically, there appears to be reason to conclude that TRO (Canada) may be functioning as part of a support network for the terrorist organization Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam."

In the United States, meanwhile, the Treasury Department last year froze the assets of the Tamils Rehabilitation Organization office in Toronto, calling it part of an international network that "passed off its operations as charitable when in fact it was raising money for a designated terrorist group responsible for heinous acts."

On Wednesday, Sri Lanka seized the organization's bank accounts in that country on the grounds the $800,000 balance, collected partly from "TRO branches in several foreign locations" was "mainly used to finance terrorist activities."

The Conservatives have not yet taken action and the group continues to operate in Canada but one of the decisions facing the new Public Safety Minister, Peter Van Loan, will be whether to designate the TRO a terrorist "entity" under the Anti-Terrorism Act, which would force it to close.

Federal officials declined to say whether they were preparing to add the TRO to Canada's official list of terrorist groups. "It would be inappropriate for me to comment on which entities are under consideration for potential listing; the assessment process for new listings is ongoing," said Stéphane Thérien, a spokesman for Public Safety Canada.

Raj Gunanathan, the President of TRO Canada, said he fears that could happen, but he has long faced these kinds of allegations. They began as soon as the group set up shop in Toronto more than a dozen years ago. Since then, Canadian Security Intelligence Service officers have repeatedly visited his office.

"They used to come at least once a year," Mr. Gunanathan said in an interview. He said he told the intelligence officers to "please come and join our board, or send someone to join our board of directors, and then you will have no doubt about what we are doing."

The Tamils Rehabilitation Organization is open about what it does: it raises money in Canada and sends it to rebel-held territories of Sri Lanka. The money goes to the TRO headquarters, which is trusted to use it to administer humanitarian aid.

The TRO headquarters in Sri Lanka, however, is controlled by the Tamil Tigers, a banned terrorist organization under Canadian law. While that might put the TRO on the wrong side of Canada's terrorism financing rules, Mr. Gunanathan argues there is no other way to provide humanitarian relief to the hundreds of thousands displaced by the civil war.

"Are we going to allow them to starve and die? We have to somehow provide them with the means of life. We have to feed those people," said the former Sri Lankan education official, who came to Canada in the 1980s after working as a teacher in Nigeria.

The Tamils Rehabilitation Organization grew out of the civil war that erupted in Sri Lanka in 1983, when the Tamil Tigers began an armed campaign for independence for the country's ethnic Tamil minority. As Tamil refugees fled to southern India to escape the fighting and ethnic riots, the TRO was formed to assist them. Later, the aid group moved into rebel-held areas of Sri Lanka to provide aid to war-affected civilians.

Offices soon appeared around the world, in cities with large ethnic Tamil communities such as Toronto. The group became a registered Ontario non-profit society in 1995. That same year it applied to the federal government for charity status.

The charity application was denied but the group applied a second time in 1997. Once again, the government refused, citing the "apparent close relationship" between the humanitarian group and the Tamil rebels.

Following the South Asian tsunami of 2004, Mr. Gunanathan submitted yet another application for charity status. On June 1, 2006, the Canada Revenue Agency replied with a 17-page rejection letter.

Signed by Canada's Director of Charities, Elizabeth Tromp, the letter said that "TRO (Canada) appears to operate within the overall structure of the LTTE."

Ms. Tromp's main concern appeared to be that the TRO office in Canada sends the money it collects to the TRO headquarters in rebel-held Sri Lanka. "The consensus of numerous and diverse sources we have reviewed indicates that the TRO raises funds in support of the LTTE," Ms. Tromp wrote in her letter.

Mr. Gunanathan said his organization had sent money to the TRO in Sri Lanka -- $1.2-million alone in the months following the tsunami - but it was used for schools, temporary shelter and food for those displaced by the war.

"If you work in the LTTE-controlled areas, they of course control you. They are a de facto government," Mr. Gunanathan said. "That doesn't mean that these people give money for arms."

Shown an RCMP affidavit filed in Federal Court that called the Tamils Rehabilitation a "sub-organization" of the rebels, Mr. Gunanathan said he had not seen the document before.

The affidavit says the RCMP's counter-terrorism unit found evidence about the TRO while investigating another Canadian group suspected of links to the rebels, the World Tamil Movement (WTM).

While executing search warrants in 2006, the RCMP's Integrated National Enforcement Team came across receipts for two bank transfers to the TRO totaling $83,000. According to police, the receipts were marked: "donations to the LTTE in Killinochchi, Sri Lanka."

RCMP Corporal Shirley Davermann wrote that the money was "actually sent to the LTTE in Sri Lanka." But Mr. Gunanathan said he doubted the police account. "It's a false report," he said. "If anybody is sending funds to LTTE and they write ‘We are sending money to LTTE,' it would be the height of absurdity for anybody to say."

The RCMP affidavit also describes links between the Tamils Rehabilitation Organization and the World Tamil Movement, which was shut down by the police earlier this year for allegedly funding the rebels.

For example, the TRO "representative" in Quebec was also the owner of the building that housed the WTM office in Montreal, police said. In addition, several World Tamil Movement officials have said publicly that they had solicited money for the Tamils Rehabilitation Organization.

"We find it significant that the World Tamil Movement, an alleged front organization for the LTTE, canvasses for and advises people to donate to the TRO," Ms. Tromp, the charity official, wrote.

The Tamils Rehabilitation Organization office at Eglinton Ave. and Kennedy Rd. in Toronto has nonetheless continued to solicit contributions. Donation envelopes were inserted into Tamil-language newspapers in Toronto last summer.

An offensive by Sri Lankan troops has made it impossible to get aid into the war zone at the moment, so the group is currently "dormant," Mr. Gunanathan said. He said the TD Bank had closed the group's Canadian account last year but it had since opened another at a different bank.

He said he had no plans to shut down.

"I'm a Hindu," he said. "What I do, I honestly feel I am helping humanity, which is like service to God."

National Post

sbell@nationalpost.com

Pakistani Intelligence Warns Of Further Taliban Suicide Attacks

Pak Intel warns of potential Taliban attacks on Karachi airport/sensitive installations.

 

Synopsis: Pakistani intelligence agencies warn that the Taliban may launch more suicide attacks on sensitive installations across the nation. The intelligence agencies informed the Interior Ministry that November would be a crucial month as al-Qaeda and Taliban-linked terrorists have planned to carry out attacks on Jinnah International Airport Karachi, and also the offices of various ministries in Islamabad, Daily Times reported on 25 Nov.

The security sources told the newspaper on condition of anonymity that terrorists have planned to attack major cities in retaliation to the ongoing operation in the troubled northwestern tribal belt bordering Afghanistan. Pakistan's tribal region has been the scene of some of the worst fighting between Pakistani forces and Taliban-linked militants in recent months. Sources also noted that the Taliban has dispatched suicide bombers' teams to the major cities including Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. The authorities have subsequently directed law enforcement agencies to take immediate action to ensure security at the airports and the ministries' offices. The intelligence network and law enforcement agencies have reportedly been put on high alert. Pakistan has suffered a wave of violence, and thousands have lost their lives since the former military ruler Pervez Musharraf joined the US-led 'war on terror' following the 9/11 attacks. Former Prime Minister Bhutto was killed in a suicide gun and bomb attack in Rawalpindi in December 2007.

Fifty-five people were killed when a truck loaded with explosives blew up outside the five-star Marriott hotel in the heart of Islamabad on September 20. More than 2,000 people were killed in Pakistan in 2007 in terrorist attacks that the government blames on militants opposed to its support of the US-led campaign against terrorism.

 

Analysis/Road Ahead: Pakistani intelligence warning of approaching Taliban suicide attacks on sensitive targets such as Karachi airport and several key federal ministries in Islamabad will serve to amplify fear among the populace and intensify Pakistani security agencies alertness. Moreover such intimidated threats could spark calls to bolster the Inter-Services Intelligence Agency (ISI). The recent deactivation of the political wing of the ISI which saw Pakistani leaders proclaim the agency could now focus on external threats may provoke calls for the political wing to be reactivated to again focus on internal threats. Revelation of imminent suicide attacks

publicized in the media will ignite additional anti-American rhetoric with claims the US missile strikes aroused the Taliban to threaten these attacks on Pakistani institutions. Whether or not actual attacks transpire media reporting will incite Pakistan’s populace to blame the US for provoking the Taliban. The Taliban will conceivably defer planned attacks or strike alternate targets.

 

Sources: Press TV, Zeenews, Middle East Times, ANI, AKI, 25 Nov 08

Safe Haven" for Al Qaeda and Taliban in Pakistan

The strategic significance of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan stems from its perceived pivotal role in the stabilization of security in neighboring Afghanistan and the war against terrorism. The region is believed to be a “safe haven” used by the al-Qaeda high command for planning future terrorist acts against the US and the rest of the world. In addition, it has been the backyard for the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan and a training ground for terrorists, especially suicide bombers. Recently, Michael Chertoff, the US Secretary for Homeland Security, is reported to have categorically stated that “(al-Qaeda) are using their platform in the frontier areas of Pakistan to train operatives.¹

In addition Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, has stated that any future terror attack against US interests would most likely be carried out by Islamic militants based in Pakistan's restive tribal belt bordering Afghanistan.
Addressing a press conference he said that tribal groups with ties to Al-Qaeda in Pakistan's FATA area represent the worst security threat to the United States. He said, "I believe fundamentally if the United States is going to get hit, it is going to come out of the planning of the leadership in the FATA” specifically that of al-Qaeda.²

Admiral Mullen’s statement underlined the concern about the FATA region being used as the staging area for attacks against United States.

This paper aims to address the concerns about the FATA region, the impact of the indigenous Pakistan Taliban, and their role in aiding the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan. It also seeks to understand the nature of the insurgency and the involvement of different actors in the area. The purpose is not to dismiss security concerns as fabricated and/or exaggerated, but to remember that the unrest in FATA is not only due to the Taliban but also to various other factors. The principal causes are the socio-economic deprivation of the people of the area and the failure to reintegrate the mujahideen fighters from the Afghan jihad back into mainstream society. Further, this piece draws attention to the fact that the instability in Pakistan’s FATA region is the result of conflict and insecurity emanating from neighboring Afghanistan, and not vice versa. Lastly, this study will conclude with recommendations regarding shortcomings in current strategies being employed to deal with unrest in the region, as well as chalking out a development plan that promises to mitigate regional insecurity by seeking the involvement of the Islamic states.

FATA, comprising seven semi-autonomous agencies and six settled frontier regions, has historically posed a governance nightmare for successive regimes. Militant tribes inhabit the FATA, and the rugged terrain of the region is ideal for guerrilla warfare. FATA’s 400 km long border with Afghanistan is porous with multiple unchecked crossing points. The close tribal links between the people on both sides of the border have made it virtually impossible to monitor cross border movement. Pakistan’s proposals to fence and mine the border have met with strong resistance from the Afghan government which fears that any such tacit agreement would be tantamount to accepting the contentious Durand Line as an officially recognized border.³

The prospects of a change in the security situation in the FATA region remain bleak, with overtures to engage the militant groups being met with skepticism and drawing sharp criticism in Washington. In fact, as a result of US pressure, efforts to initiate a dialogue have been shelved at present. This, in particular, relates to the negotiations with the Baitullah Mehsud led Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella organization that includes different militant groups. The key TTP objectives include: enforcing the sharia, uniting against NATO forces in Afghanistan and carrying out “defensive jihad against the Pakistan army.”⁴ Mehsud has been categorical in declaring his intent to continue the jihad against the international forces in Afghanistan. This prompted the United States to voice its concern to Islamabad about the ongoing negotiations with the TTP. In an interview given to journalists in May 2008, Mehsud expressed his doubts about the future of any deal with the Pakistani government, stating that any such peace agreement is doomed unless the government changes its policies, stops being subservient to the US, and reasserts its sovereignty.

To make matters worse, in an incident on June 10, a US air attack on a paramilitary check-post killed 11 Pakistani soldiers, including an officer, in the Mohmand Agency. Pakistan reacted angrily even as the US maintained that it had informed them of the air strike conducted to counter an ambush attack on Afghan/coalition forces on the Afghan side near the border. A strongly-worded reaction from the Pakistani army described the attack as “completely unprovoked and cowardly” and “blamed the coalition forces for the violent act and said that the incident had hit at the very basis of cooperation and sacrifice with which Pakistani soldiers are supporting the coalition in the war against terror,” adding that “such acts of aggression do not serve the common cause of fighting terrorism.” The army emphasized that, “A strong protest has been launched by the Pakistan Army, and we reserve the right to protect our citizens and soldiers against aggression.”⁵ This attack is expected to have a detrimental effect on the confidence of the Pakistani Army as it relates to the need to cooperate with the Americans in the ongoing war against terrorism.

Military Operations in FATA

Faryal Leghari: "It is hoped that the international community, including the US, the EU, and especially the GCC states, will reach out to extend cooperation"

Pakistan first deployed its military in the FATA region in 2002 in an effort to expel foreign fighters, mostly those belonging to al-Qaeda and other affiliated organizations, as well as to counter the growing threat posed by local militants. The military operations in the region evolved over three distinct phases. In the first phase, the operations were focused on dismantling the al-Qaeda and Taliban networks. The second phase focused on the selective scouting of the Taliban, and the third stage dating from 2005 to the present (2008) has consisted of large military operations.

At present the total strength of the Pakistani armed forces deployed along the Afghan border is 100,000 soldiers, with two division-sized forces in Waziristan, despite the lull in military operations. The operations conducted by the armed forces in 2007-2008 included 38 surgical air strikes by the Pakistan Air Force/Army, and 25 ground operations that resulted in 930 militants being killed, of which 508 were foreigners.⁶ The withdrawal of the armed forces and removal of all military checkpoints in FATA as demanded by the TTP is highly unlikely. There were rumors of relocation and withdrawal in some areas but the officials have refuted these. At present, Bajaur, North and South Waziristan, and Mohmand – to some extent – continue to be the most troubled of the seven agencies comprising FATA.

Nature of the Insurgency in FATA and the Key Players

In trying to comprehend the evolution of the current situation, it is important to understand the imbalance in the power structures in the FATA region. Prior to 1979 and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the power structure in the region had only two elements – the tribes and the Pakistani government. These two powerful elements co-existed peacefully and the governance of the region was designed around them. It was only after the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan and the subsequent hasty departure of the international community from the scene that militant organizations, including jihadist militants of different nationalities, emerged. The traditional power structure was threatened by this violent third element, which led to a power struggle that erupted after the US-led attacks on the Taliban in October 2001. To date, this new element in the power structure has not adapted to nor been accepted by the traditional power setup in the region. In fact, the heavily financed and armed militants outmatched the tribal chiefs who stood up to them. They have killed approximately 120 tribal elders on charges of being spies of the Pakistani government and/or the Americans. It was only when it became clear that these militants had outmatched the Frontier Corps that the army was called in to control the situation.

The main reasons that have led to the emergence of this region as a flashpoint of extremism, terrorism and violent insurgency can be traced to the days of the liberation of Afghanistan and includes several failures on part of Islamabad and the international community. These include:

1) The failure to reintegrate the mujahideen (after the Afghan Jihad and ouster of Soviets);

2) The failure to provide the people of the region with desperately needed socio-economic resources, including basic facilities in health, education and communications ⁷; and

3) The failure to initiate reforms both at the political and administrative level in the FATA region.

The cumulative effect of these factors provided a fertile ground for the emergence of several players/groups that had clearly defined stakes in exploiting the situation.

Any effort to tackle the insurgency requires an understanding of the key local players, their strategic objectives and their linkages to other organizations or groups with vested interests.

Currently we can discern four categories of militants in the tribal areas.

1) The jihadists, who are called “purists”, and whose chief purpose is to fight jihad. For them, there is no difference between the Soviets and the United States/NATO, as they are all perceived as occupiers of an Islamic state. These people are believed to have no desire to indulge in anti-state or criminal activity. It is understood that these “purists” will cross over into Afghanistan to fight jihad. The particular nature of the regional terrain is conducive to their activities and their cross-border incursions are expected to continue.

2) The indigenous Pakistani Taliban, who have regrouped under Baitullah Mehsud’s Tehrik-i-Taliban, and like-minded smaller organizations and groups. The TTP’s emergence as an independent entity with a sophisticated organizational structure and operational capability was formally announced in December 2007. The group had been active in the FATA region, principally in the South Waziristan, Mohmand, and Bajaur Agencies for some years. The TTP has successfully engaged the Pakistan armed forces and currently supports Taliban operations in Afghanistan against NATO forces. This has resulted in other smaller militant groups, like Lashkar-i-Islam, joining them either as associated partners or as followers. Mehsud’s organization, which is reported to be 5,000 strong, has attracted many disbanded terrorist groups that are not confined to the FATA region. In fact, the TTP’s reach now extends to the settled areas of the NWFP, including the districts of Swat, Malakand, Bannu, Tank, Lakki Marwat, D.I.Khan, Kohistan and Buner.⁸

3) The criminal groups who have assumed the mantle jihad in order to exploit the situation to the benefit of their criminal activities.

4) The “shadow” group whose identity is yet to be determined. This group is believed to be involved in attempts to reignite conflict when the situation calms down and some headway is being made in efforts to bring peace.

The multi-layered nature of the insurgency demands a similar approach in dealing with the actors involved. There is a need to strengthen the regional security forces including the police, the khassadars and the levies: ⁹ as an integrated force, they could deal effectively with the criminal elements and the smaller militant groups. In order to ensure the implementation of the strategy to deal with the insurgency, it is crucial to harness the support of the tribes. In fact, the government, by exploiting differences between the Uzbek militants and the Waziri tribes, waged a successful operation in March 2007 that resulted in the killing and expulsion of more than 300 Uzbeks from the area.

Failings of the US Strategy towards FATA

"The strategic significance of FATA of Pakistan stems from its perceived vital role in the stabilization of security in neighboring Afghanistan and the war against terrorism."

It seems that the US has failed in its “winning the hearts and minds” strategy; in fact, it has not even bothered to operate in this context in the FATA region. Conducting air strikes, dismissing civilian (and now military) casualties as “collateral damage”, and then expecting local people to be grateful for development aid seems presumptuous. While development funds are badly needed in the impoverished and radicalized region, the truth is that the tribesmen view any development aid from western quarters as blood money. There is evident hostility towards western aid, a fact exploited by the militants who have termed it haram and have vowed to wage all efforts to sabotage any such projects. As a result of the huge socio-economic deficit – a problem that can be partly considered a failure of the Pakistani government and partly of the international community that abandoned the region after the ouster of the Soviets from Afghanistan – the region has tilted towards extremism and terrorism. The conflict in Afghanistan became the cause for the consequent radicalization, terrorism, weapons proliferation and narcotics trafficking.

As if the missile attacks from an unmanned predator aircraft, which caused civilian casualties were not enough – it is now rumored that the Pentagon has planned ground operations in the tribal areas. It is beyond comprehension that Washington seems to have entirely disregarded realities on the ground. Instead, they reveal signs of panic by erring in their policy-making. Their rhetoric about successes in Iraq and control of the situation in Afghanistan is in contradiction to reality, and it seems that the policy makers in Washington are scrambling to take any measure that might indicate some semblance of control over the situation in these two countries.

In order to deter cross-border incursions by al-Qaeda and the Taliban, and to gain logistic support from Pakistan, the US should focus on increasing troops on the Afghan border. The villages that have sprung on the Afghan side of the border have been largely ignored by the coalition and Afghan security forces and are believed to also provide sanctuary and logistical support to the Taliban and others. Besides, the refugee problem (Pakistan hosted about 4 million Afghan refugees, of which about 2 million are still to be repatriated) needs to be addressed on an immediate basis.

The US and its allies should also focus on strengthening the institutional structures in Afghanistan and make concerted efforts to root out criminal and corrupt elements within the establishment. The Afghan Army and police trained by the international forces are expected to share more of the burden of the ISAF at some point later in 2008. However, this is not expected to have much of an impact on controlling the Taliban insurgency, as this is in actuality a nationalist movement. Rampant corruption at various levels within the system, ineffective central governance, and the disillusionment of the Afghan people with the establishment are also contributing factors.

The linkages between narcotics production and the insurgency are often discussed but have yet to be fully addressed. There is strong evidence that narcotics serve as the crucial financial supply-line for the Taliban and al-Qaeda. A hard-hitting strategy for narcotics eradication complemented by a viable alternative livelihood plan for the opium farmers is the need of the hour. In addition, the vested interests of international organized criminal groups, specifically the narco-mafia, in an unstable Afghanistan and Pakistan cannot be ignored.¹⁰

As for the Pakistani perception of the “War on Terror”, the truth of the matter is that the Pakistani people, in general, do not consider it their war; they feel they have been dragged into it. Despite being subjected to a wave of suicide attacks and the spread of Talibanization, they feel these are reactions to the government’s support of US policies. Instead of aggravating an already volatile situation by staging ground operations to hunt down al-Qaeda, the US should place the onus on the Pakistani military and beef up the regional security forces with technical training and intelligence support. Any air strikes to hit “high value targets” must be conducted only by the Pakistani armed forces, and these should be kinetic strikes with minimal civilian casualties. Pakistani intelligence services are already in close collaboration with the US and other allies, where intelligence information is shared with about 50 countries on a daily basis. This intelligence cooperation could be enhanced with added focus on the development of human intelligence in the area (FATA and other identified sensitive areas in Pakistan) aided by technical surveillance.

In reaction to the constant haranguing from Western sources regarding the role of the ISI and elements in the armed forces in helping the Taliban, Pakistan has recently issued a strong denial of such activities. It has taken particular exception to the report issued by the RAND Corporation entitled “Counter Insurgency in Afghanistan” which claims that there are Taliban sanctuaries inside Pakistan and that elements within the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and Frontier Corps (FC) are providing arms and financial assistance to Taliban. Pakistan has also categorically denied that any of its officials or troops is helping insurgents and has rejected the report’s allegations. A statement issued by the Pakistani military denounced the report, stating that it, “is misleading, factually incorrect and based on propaganda to create doubts and suspicion in the minds of (the) target audience about Pakistan’s role in supporting the coalition forces in Afghanistan.”¹¹

As far as Pakistan is concerned, efforts to catch some of the key al-Qaeda planners and operators have met with considerable success in the past. However, the struggle promises to be a long one, for the organization has now grown into a movement. The strategy in the War on Terror should be to avoid the high-handed approach and the use of language that has generated hatred and extremism against the West in the past. It is naïve to expect that the unilateral use of force could lead to the eradication of terrorism. Recommendations have been made at the international level to address the root causes of grievances and injustices (perceived or real) that lead to radicalization and extremism. However, the growing spread of radicalization not only among the so-called madrassah trained youth but also among the educated classes portends that the problem will not be an easy one to resolve. In fact, there is a clear lack of strategy as well as a lack of commitment to implement and sustain plans geared towards resolving the region’s problems; the lack of understanding of the people, their culture and beliefs is another major problem.

On the other hand, as part of a comprehensive strategy, the US has planned to contribute over $2 billion, with a special development package worth $750 million including the establishment of Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs) in the FATA region. The US has also drawn up a Security Development Plan estimated to cost $400 million for enhancing the capability of the Frontier Corps, thus improving security in the region.¹² These are commendable initiatives and are expected to yield dividends for the local people. However, as seen in the past, the implementation of such projects has faced obstacles, with a major portion of the funds going towards consultants’ fees in western capitals and very little trickling down to benefit the locals. Afghanistan is facing the same problem where reconstruction funds amount to a meager $7-8 billion compared to military costs of $80 billion. Implementation of such projects can be made acceptable to the people by involving Muslim countries that can play instrumental roles; this will be discussed below in more detail.

Pakistan’s Strategy towards FATA: Suggested Amendments

"The agriculture sector has been neglected due to the lack of resources"

The effort to use military deployment as a means of political negotiation and a facilitator of economic development has been absent from the strategy to deal with the situation in the tribal areas. A political strategy, drawn up in consultation with tribal elders, to spread awareness among the local tribes could clear up any misconceptions and mistrust created by the militants. At this point the presence of military forces in the region as a means to apply sustained pressure to deter any sabotage attempts is important.

Historical facts show that the unilateral use of the force has never been an answer to resolve the FATA’s problems. Though a military presence in the FATA eventually became a necessity, this has had an adverse effect on the administrative set-up as the authority of the political agent has been eroded.¹³ Taking punitive action against the tribes, including blockades and mass arrests, will not work and will likely lead to a worsened situation. In fact, the militants have welcomed blockades of the area as it deprives the locals of the area of their basic economic needs.

In order to rectify the present situation, there should be a graduated response. Political and administrative reforms need to be introduced with the possible merger of the region into the NWFP. (The government has proposed renaming the province, from NWFP, to ‘Pukhtookhwa’ as a first step in addressing the perceived neglect of the region). Until such time, the authority of the political agent must be restored.

As for negotiations with militants and peace agreements, the government needs to show resolve in standing by its objectives of not tolerating any type of activity against the state apparatus or violence against its citizens. Pakistan has expressed its inability to control incursions into Afghanistan on its own. It is only fair that Pakistan and Afghanistan should share the responsibility to stop such incursions. Further, NATO must act upon the government’s proposals to the ISAF command to post extra troops and check movements on the Afghan side of the border. While curtailment of the use of force against groups like the TTP is not a likely option in the foreseeable future, there should be a continuous effort to keep channels of communication and dialogue open with such groups.

Socio-economic Development in the FATA Region

The provincial government in the NWFP plans to initiate a $4 billion development fund for the Frontier province including the FATA region. This is in addition to the $2 billion Sustainable Development Fund (SDP) for the FATA region that could not be implemented due to a lack of resources and funds.

A key factor in the implementation of any development work in the region is consolidating and strengthening local support. It is important to reach an effective agreement with the tribes in the FATA region in order to implement development projects. This in turn will have far reaching implications, as the tribes will realize the benefits of these projects for their areas.

A comprehensive regional development plan encompassing training and provision of jobs, infrastructure, education, health, agriculture and trade development is urgently required. However, for immediate impact, providing jobs to the people from the area either locally or internationally is vital.

Any future development plans for the FATA should include the Islamic states, principally the GCC states, as integral partners with a leading role. This would be immensely beneficial in two ways. Firstly, it would counter the widespread hostility in the area towards western aid and the fears of a broader ‘design’ to subvert the people of the area from their religion and beliefs. Secondly, the locals, who would perceive these projects as an Islamic initiative, would resist sabotage attempts by militants. The projects would also address the concern about unemployed youth being drawn into extremism, as they would aim to provide jobs to young people. ¹⁴Much of the large youth population (approximately 15 percent in Waziristan alone) could also be provided jobs in the Gulf States with strict monitoring from the Pakistani side. Understandably the Gulf States would have security concerns as well, which would need to be addressed by Pakistan.

In fact, the export of labor from these areas to the GCC States would add to employment opportunities. The local tribes can be apportioned a quota that could be flexible and based on performance and good behavior. Providing training opportunities in remote areas could facilitate the recruitment of locals for un-skilled and semi-skilled labor. Mobile training teams would travel throughout FATA with tribal support in order create awareness among the local population about opportunities. The Political Agent and the tribal elders could also be involved in the process in order to facilitate the endeavor in addition to propagating the initiative regionally.

The existing recruitment centers in the Frontier Province and other parts of the country could be utilized for providing further training in various fields to those who have had some basic education and other technical training. It is expected that there will be a larger turnout for labor recruitment in the construction and services sector. This would be mutually beneficial for the FATA area and Pakistan as well as the Gulf States due to booming construction and real estate development in the Gulf. ¹⁵

A key area in dire need of resources is the transportation infrastructure, specifically roads. Any development in the roads network would have an immediate impact on the people’s lives and make the region more accessible. This would also boost trade and commerce in the region. Home to 3.96 million people, FATA suffers from a lack of development in the education, health, energy and agricultural sectors. The literacy rate for FATA is a mere 17.42 percent, according to a 1998 census, compared to 43.92 percent for the rest of Pakistan. The female literacy rate at three percent is the lowest in the country. ¹⁶

Similarly, the health sector also demonstrates poor indicators. The total number of hospitals in the entire FATA region is 33, with a further 301 dispensaries. Sadly, there is only one doctor for a population of 6,970.17

The agriculture sector has also been neglected due to a lack of resources. Addressing the issues of water scarcity, land reclamation and forestry development, the introduction of tunnel farming for off-season vegetables and fruits, and livestock farming could give a boost to overall development in the region. Similarly, the mining of coal, marble and other important minerals is a potential goldmine waiting to be tapped. The region also badly needs energy for village electrification and irrigation purposes. Additionally, tapping sources of hydroelectric power and solar energy is another area that could be explored.

Conclusion

"Tapping resources of hydroelectric power and solar energy is another area that could be explored"

Pakistan’s military cooperation with the US and coalition forces in Afghanistan is likely to continue despite the June 10 air strikes that have elicited a sharp reaction and created tension. However, the air strikes by US aircraft and coalition forces must be curtailed in the larger interest of winning this war. As stated earlier, it is advisable that Pakistani forces carry out any air strikes on targets inside Pakistan. The criticism of Pakistan’s efforts being aired in Washington has caused confusion leading to a debate in the country on whether or not the current situation is part of an induced destabilization process aimed at denuclearizing the country.

In any case, a genuine effort to completely root out extremism requires that the West revise its strategy. It is also mandatory that the internal dynamics of the FATA region be incorporated in any strategy that seeks to deal with the conflict situation.

Pakistan should step up efforts to implement political, administrative and judicial reforms in keeping with tribal traditions. There must be a concerted effort to dispel the feeling among the people that they are not part of the mainstream in the country. More importantly, the government should address their frustration and sense of socio-economic deprivation. As stated earlier, the use of military force should only serve as a supporting tool for implementing the political and economic strategies discussed above. However, it would also help to thwart the militants’ goal of exploiting the situation and recruiting people for extremist activities.

It is hoped that the international community, including the US, the EU, and especially the GCC states, will reach out to extend cooperation for the development of the FATA region. It should be kept in mind however, that there is no short cut to achieve the final objective. While measures implemented on an immediate basis could generate results and change perceptions, a multifaceted strategy that would work on different levels would need a long-term commitment and sustained resources. This is the responsibility the international community must commit to; for Afghanistan’s example is a stark reminder of how an unattended situation can disintegrate into chaos.

Notes:

1 BBC World News, June 1, 2008.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7429699.stm

2 Geo Television Network, June 11, 2008.
http://www.geo.tv/6-11-2008/19148.htm

3 The Pak government, in the face of belligerent Afghan posturing about sending its forces to hunt down Taliban leaders like Mehsud and Mualvi Umer (there was an ambiguity about which “Umer” Karzai referred to, there is the Taliban leader Mullah Umer (Afghan) and then there is Maulvi Umer who is the spokesman of the TTP (Mehsud’s); had also propositioned NATO to increase vigilance on the Afghan side of the border. Border monitoring has to be a collective responsibility in this case and must be shared equally between Pakistan, Afghanistan and the International Coalition Forces.

4 Daily Times, December 16, 2007.

5 The News, June 12, 2008.

6 Information obtained from interviews with some high level Intelligence Officers in Islamabad, May 17, 2008. Identity cannot be disclosed as per prior understanding.

7 This socio-economic deprivation has led to rise in extremism and radicalization. As a result the Taliban and other militant organizations have been able to recruit much of the younger population as well as many of the returnees of the Afghan jihad.

8 The News, December 16, 2007.

9 The establishment of Federal Levies and Khassadrs in FATA and (tribal areas in Balochistan) was introduced by the British and has to date been maintained in order to exercise an effective control over the tribal people and for the maintenance of law and order in the tribal areas. The political agent holds the control of the federal levies and khassadars and runs the day to day affairs of policing the agency. Levies are the community police. They perform all functions that the regular police are supposed to do. Total strength of Federal Levies in FATA is 6785. Khassadar position is hereditary and incumbents carry their own weapons for the duty. Total strength of Khassadars working in NWFP & FATA is 17597.

10 It is believed that the Taliban in Afghanistan are being paid heavily by the organized crime groups running the narcotic trafficking network to allow safe passage of drug consignments to pass into Pakistan and Iran for trafficking to other destinations. The al Qaeda is also believed to be using narco money as a financial supply-line. The narcotics production and trafficking is now directly linked to the financing of the Taliban insurgency and the terrorist funding for al Qaeda and other associated groups. The international community needs to address this on an urgent basis.

11 The News, June 12, 2008

12 Shuja Nawaz, “Rethinking the War in Pakistan’s Borderlands,” The Huffington Post, March 13, 2008.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shuja-nawaz/rethinking-the-war-in-pak_b_91407.html

13 The Political Agent referred to here is the administrator appointed by the Governor of the NWF province and is in charge of running the administration of the agency. This setup has been implemented since the days of British Colonial rule has carried on successfully to date. Ironically with the increased military presence of the Pakistan Army, the role and authority of the Political Agent is now reduced to a nominal stature.

14 Some quarters assert that the GCC states do not fully respect labor rights and question the increased export of Pakistan labor force to the Gulf. Recent press reports also brought to light several incidents where protests over unpaid wages and proper accommodation were staged by the work force especially in the construction sector. This served as an eye opener causing some of these host states to review the problems and address the violations. Many of these workers who were found guilty of inciting and indulging in violence were deported as well. It is not correct to assume that there are no transgressions in the labor sector by private or semi private of even government owned companies but there is marked improvement and more openness about such issues. In fact several of the GCC states are on a self improvement drive.

15 In view of anti trafficking laws and labor reforms being implemented due to international concerns for expatriate labor communities in GCC states, and a desire to improve their image, many of the GCC states have seriously started to take measures to improve abuses within the labor sector. It is not expected to assume a model status but things have improved significantly over the years. It is also true as proved by a study conducted by Gallup Pakistan, that Pakistan labor force prefer the Gulf as a work destination due to closeness to home, perceived higher monetary returns and ideological reasons.

16 Directorate of Education FATA, NWFP, Pakistan Education Survey, 2004-05, Census Report of FATA, 1998.

17 Statistics provided by the FATA Secretariat, Year 2006.

This artice has been first published in Volume II, Issue 10 of Perspectives on Terrorism.

Faryal Leghari
Researcher
Gulf Research Center in Dubai

Al Qaeda Video Urges Muslims to Kill Saudi King for Hosting Interfaith Conference

Monday, July 28, 2008

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CAIRO, Egypt —  An Al Qaeda commander who escaped from a U.S. prison has posted a Web video urging Muslims to kill the Saudi king for leading an interfaith conference in Madrid earlier this month.

Abu Yahia al-Libi, who escaped from Afghanistan's Bagram prison in 2005, says "bringing religions together...means renouncing Islam."

Saudi King Abdullah sponsored the dialogue among Jews, Muslims, Christians, Hindus and Buddhists, and encouraged all faiths to turn away from extremism.

But al-Libi says "equating Islam with other religions is a betrayal of Islam." He calls for "the speedy killing of this tyrant."

The 43-minute video was posted late Monday on an Internet site frequently used by militants. Its authenticity could not be independently verified.

Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has also frequently lashed out at the royal family of his native Saudi Arabia, a U.S. ally.

Jihadists Killed Christian Teacher, Had Planned To Kill American

Source: AP, 28 July

Indonesian terror suspects executed a Christian teacher in front of his family and were planning to assassinate an American language teacher before their arrest this month, a top anti-terrorism official and the suspects' lawyer said Monday.

The ten alleged militants have also told officers they were plotting to attack the Supreme Court to avenge the upcoming executions of the Bali nightclub bombers and attack a joint Singaporean-Indonesian military exercise, the security official said.  The revelations point to the resilience of Islamist militant networks in Indonesia despite a U.S.-backed crackdown that has netted more than 400 suspects in recent years and reduced the risk of more large-scale attacks on Western targets, most experts say.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, Indonesia has been hit by a string of suicide bombings blamed on members and associates of the regional militant group Jemaah Islamiyah, including the 2002 nightclub bombings on Bali island that left 202 people dead, many of them foreign tourists. The last major strike was in 2005, also on Bali . The group of 10 militants were arrested in early July in a series of raids on Sumatra island. Officers have said one of the suspects was a Singaporean who trained in Afghanistan with al-Qaeda. Twenty bombs packed with live bullets were seized from the men. The men's lawyer Asludin Hatjani said Monday the group was responsible for shooting 59-year-old Dago Simamora, an Indonesian teacher, to death in front of his children last year in the south Sumatran town of Pekanbaru. The crime had previously been unsolved. "It's true, they did that," the lawyer told The Associated Press. He gave no motive for the attack.

Late Sunday, the anti-terrorism officer revealed the men were also planning to execute an American teaching English in the town of Sekayu , which lies just west of Pekanbaru. He identified the teacher by his first name of Samuel.  A teacher at the SMU-2 school in Sekayu confirmed a U.S. citizen called Samuel used to work there, but left several months ago. She did not give her name. The U.S. Embassy in the capital, Jakarta , declined comment.  The anti-terrorism officer spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, saying that revealing his identity would jeopardize ongoing anti-terror operations. Hatjani declined to comment on that allegation, saying interrogations were continuing.  The officer also said the group planned to detonate one of the devices in the car park of the Supreme Court in the capital, Jakarta , to coincide with the executions of three militants convicted in the Bali attacks.

Authorities say they expect to execute the trio before the beginning of September.

He also said the group was planning to attack a joint Indonesia-Singaporean military exercise at Baturaja, the Indonesian military's major combat training area. It is located in south Sumatra . The official declined to say how advanced the planning was in the operations.

Officers have previously said the group also planned to attack a cafe in the Sumatran tourist town of Bukittinggi , but aborted it at the last minute out of fears there would be too many Muslim casualties.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/28/asia/AS-Indonesia-Terror-Plot.php
(Comment: In this instance, at least, it would appear that Indonesian jihadis have learned that the wholesale massacre of their co-religionists is counterproductive and erodes support.  Targeting other religions and foreigners suggests a more refined targeting approach.)

India On Alert After Two Days Of Bombings Kill 46

Excerpt(s): “At least 16 bombs exploded in the Indian city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat state on Saturday, killing at least 45 people and wounding 161, a day after another set of blasts in Bangalore killed a woman. Two more unexploded bombs were found in the city of Surat on Sunday, one of the world’s biggest diamond-polishing centres, located in Gujarat state, police said. A little-known group called the ‘Indian Mujahideen’ claimed responsibility for the Ahmedabad attack on Saturday. The same group said it carried out bomb attacks that killed 63 people in the western city of Jaipur in May. It is unusual for any group to claim responsibility, but India says it suspects militant groups from Pakistan and Bangladesh are behind a wave of bombings in recent years, with targets ranging from mosques and Hindu temples to trains.”

Context/Analysis: Gujarat is one of the wealthiest states in India , as well as one of the most ethnically and religiously divided. More than 2,500 people were killed in 2002 in sectarian riots, mostly Muslims attacks by Hindu mobs. Bangalore is the wealthy center of India ’s hi-tech industry.

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSSP225114

 

Police Arrest Activist Of Banned Group In Connection With Ahmedabad Blasts

Source: New Delhi The Times of India Online in English 28 Jul 08

New Delhi: An activist of the banned militant outfit, Ahle Hadees [Ahle Hadith], has been arrested in connection with the serial blasts in Ahmedabad which was on the edge on Sunday [ 27 July] with a live bomb in the city being defused and another three found in Surat city as the death toll rose to 49.

            The arrested activist, identified as Abdul Halim and wanted in connection with 2002 post-Godhra riots, was picked up by the police from the communally-sensitive Dani Limda area in the walled city. He had remained elusive since the riots.

            What is Ahle Hadees?

            The terror outfit, Ahle Hadees, is an ultra conservative religious group that owes its allegiance to the Wahabi sect of Islam. The Ahle Hadees is known to have founded the dreaded Lashkar-e-Toiba [Lashkar-e Taiyiba] militant outfit in Pakistan that is known to be behind several terror attacks in India .

            Many members of this group are also known to be part of the SIMI [Students Islamic Movement of India] cadre. Moreover, several Ahle Hadees activists have been accused of carrying out terror acts.

            On Sunday, a live explosive was found in a garbage can in Amraiwadi area and defused by the bomb detection squad. A bomb kept in a wooden box near a hospital and two car laden with explosives were found in Surat city.

            Army staged flag marches in the vulnerable areas in the city to instill confidence among its shaken residents.

            In New Delhi , Home Minister Shivraj Patil chaired a high-level meeting to review the security scenario in the country and assured all possible help to the Narendra Modi government in its hour of crisis.

            Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, accompanied by Home minister Shivraj Patil and UPA [United Progressive Alliance] chairperson Sonia Gandhi who are to visit Ahmedabad on Monday, was briefed by Patil, National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan and top officials of the Home Ministry on the security situation in the country.

            Intensifying its probe into the serial blasts, the anti-terrorism squad of Maharashtra police raided an apartment in Navi Mumbai's Palm Beach Road area and seized a computer from which an email was suspected to have been sent to TV channels purportedly by a little-known "Indian Mujahideen" [Indian Mujahidin] threatening more blasts in the country.

            Terror struck Ahmedabad on Saturday when 16 coordinated serial blasts ripped through the metropolis killing 49 people and injuring more than 150, a day after multiple explosions rocked Bangalore .

            Several states, including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi , Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, sounded red alerts heightening vigil in sensitive areas. 

 

Bombings May Threaten India-Pakistan Relations

Source: AFP, 28 July

Indian cities are on high alert after a series of explosions ripped through the western city of Ahmedabad on Saturday, killing at least 45 people and wounding 160. The blasts, which occurred a day after bombings in the southern city of Bangalore, are the latest in a string of attacks in India believed to be the work of Islamic terrorists. 

A little known group calling itself the "Indian Mujahideen" claimed responsibility for the Ahmedabad bombings, just as it had for an attack in Jaipur in May that killed 60 people. But security analysts and intelligence officials are doubtful about these claims and instead suspect that militant Islamic groups from Pakistan and Bangladesh are behind the attacks.

            "The way in which the attack in Ahmedabad took place – the multiplicity of the bombs and the way in which they were coordinated – suggests a level of expertise not yet associated with any Indian group," says Uday Bhaskar, a security analyst and former director of New Delhi 's Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses. "It is reasonable to say this group has benefited from external involvement," he adds.  Other observers say the "Indian Mujahideen" was coined to cover the involvement of Pakistani groups, although few here doubt that Indian Muslims are involved at some level. Saturday's bombings occurred in two waves. The first series of explosions detonated in crowded markets; the second wave, less than half an hour later, targeted two hospitals where the injured had been taken. Television footage showed blood-covered victims writhing in agony on hospital floors. In all, there were 17 explosions, caused by crudely made devices that peppered victims with red-hot ball bearings and shrapnel.

            The day before, one person was killed and six wounded when eight bombs exploded in quick succession in Bangalore . No group has claimed responsibility for the Bangalore bombings.

            Both attacks – like the one in Jaipur – occurred in states run by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), India 's main opposition party.   Ahmedabad, the main city in Gujarat , is especially vulnerable to communal tensions. In 2002, a train fire that killed members of a Hindu nationalist group sparked Hindu-Muslim riots in which over 2,000 people, most of them Muslim, died.  "Await five minutes for the revenge of Gujarat ," read an e-mail sent to television stations, purportedly from the Indian Mujahideen, moments before Saturday's explosions.  But analysts say that stoking communal tensions is not the sole objective of recent attacks. "These people want to hurt the country in any way possible," says Ajay Sahni, a terrorism expert at the Institute for Conflict Management in Delhi . "Causing communal tensions is a secondary objective to that. If I wanted to whip up communal riots I would ensure that only Hindus were killed whereas these attacks are occurring in areas with mixed populations." Indeed, Saturday's attacks occurred in Ahmedabad's old city, which houses many Muslims.

In recent years, there have been regular, fatal bomb blasts in cities across India . Many have targeted religious sites: a temple in the ancient pilgrimage city of Varanasi in 2006, a mosque near Mumbai ( Bombay ) later that year, and another mosque, during Friday prayers, in the southern city of Hyderabad in 2007.  Often, no one claims responsibility for the attacks. But officials in New Delhi routinely point fingers at Pakistan , or at militants backed by Islamabad .  Such accusations of cross-border terrorism are a legacy of the cold war between India and Pakistan , during which Pakistan has used militancy as a tool to destabilize India .  Many believe that Islamabad retains links to militant groups, although the degree to which it remains operationally in control is unclear, especially at a time when Pakistan itself is suffering from an upsurge of Islamic militancy. Pakistan , meanwhile, denies backing any Islamic militants, including those operating in the disputed Himalayan state of Kashmir .

            The recent bomb attacks come at a time when the Pakistan-India peace process is under strain. Amid one of the sharpest exchanges between the neighbors since they launched peace talks in 2004, Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon said that "elements" in Pakistan were behind a resurgence in militant activities, including the recent bomb attack at the Indian Embassy in Kabul that killed 58 people, including two Indian diplomats.

"There have been statements by leaders of Pakistan , inciting terror," Mr. Menon said. "There are such statements from some government officials and this incitement of violence has culminated in suicide blasts.... All investigations point to Pakistan being behind the blast."  The involvement of home-grown Indian terrorists in such attacks is also of increasing concern here. "In the wake of 9/11 there was a lot of satisfaction that no Indian national was involved in terrorism in India ," says Mr. Bhaskar. "I would be cautious in saying that was changing, but it may be that we are reaching some sort of tipping point."

Fear Grows Over India Car Terror

Source: The Australian, 29 July

Two cars packed with explosives and bomb-making equipment were found yesterday in the Indian city of Surat, where 92 per cent of the world's diamonds are cut and polished, as fears mounted that jihadis have begun a campaign attacking targets of international significance.

Bomb disposal experts dismantled both bombs in cars that had been abandoned in the city, but officials said there was intelligence showing extremists were "trying to cause as much chaos and bloodshed as possible to further the cause ofjihad".

Anti-terror squads swooped on an apartment in an upmarket part of Mumbai, pinpointed as the origin of a 14-page manifesto issued by an organisation known as Indian Mujaheddin following the bomb blasts in Ahmedabad, in Gujarat .

            Police said the apartment was rented to two Americans who had denied any involvement in the email, which, "in the name of Allah", proclaimed "the terror of death" and was sent to several Indian news channels.   Investigators are looking at the possibility that the Americans' personal computers were hacked to send the incendiary document, which analysts say gives the clearest indication yet of the thinking behind the wave of bomb attacks.   The document, written in English, insists Indian Mujaheddin is a home-grown organisation, and asks the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba organisation, which is close to Pakistan's ISI spy agency and linked to al-Qa'ida, not to claim responsibility for bomb attacks carried out in its name.   Indian intelligence experts believe Indian Mujaheddin is the al-Qa'ida-linked Students Islamic Movement of India in a new guise, rebadging itself as Indian rather than a puppet of the ISI.

 

Terrorist Bombings Rattle India

Source: OSC

Global media reported at least 46 people were killed in a series of bombings in two main Indian cities over the weekend, while a little-known group calling itself the “Indian Mujahideen” claimed responsibility.

A London Times editorial believed Indian politicians were worried that Islamist extremism may have finally taken root in India, which—in spite of having one of the world’s largest Muslim populations, “had not been radicalized so far by the global jihadist movement.”  Like Italy ’s Le Figaro, London Times suspected Pakistani or Bangladeshi involvement. 

*        Indian media saw the attacks as intended to disrupt harmony—Inquilab said they were “aimed at disturbing India ’s religious unity, destroying its economy, or derailing it from the path of progress and development by creating instability.”  Maharashtra Times stated the terrorists’ singular aim was “to unsettle normal life and pit the Hindu majority against the Muslim minority;” however, this design would not succeed because people could easily see through it.  Anandabazar Patrika opined the “sole objective was to spread panic among people and to sow seeds of a long-lasting fear.” 

*        Indian media lambasted the government’s “political and procedural response to terror,” which Indian Express called “scarily confusing.”  Dainik Jagran said, “The present government does not even have a rudimentary sense of how to combat terror;” Gujaratmitra said the attacks reflected a “complete failure in preventing terrorists’ infiltrating into our region from across the borders.”

Indian media also called for a tightening of India ’s security and intelligence networks. Akhbar-E-Mashrique wanted intelligence agents “punished for sitting around, twiddling their thumbs!” Gujarat Samachar and Navbharat Times said security agencies were “napping,” in “blissful slumber.”  Divya Bhaskar exhorted, “The need of the hour is not to play the blame game, but to ensure stringent security measures to prevent such incidents”; The Asian Age declared it was time to implement “a single national authority charged with fighting terrorist hundreds of thousands would “fight the Americans in every city and village” in Afghanistan, and declared the Taliban’s control of the region imminent. Rahmani said the Afghan government was too weak to carry out operations against the Taliban in Pakistan , and the US would not invade it either “because of the resistance it faced and the heavy losses it incurred in Iraq and Afghanistan .”  He called on Pakistan and Iran to assist the Afghan people in their “jihad against the Americans, infidels, and crusaders.”

Senior Al-Qaeda Chemical Weapons Expert 'Killed' In Missile Strike

Abu Khabab al-Masri reportedly killed in US missile strike in Pakistan.

Synopsis: Reports from Pakistan say a leading al-Qaeda chemical weapons expert, Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar, has been killed in a missile strike. Taliban officials in the tribal area of South Waziristan confirmed to the BBC that he was killed in a missile strike that left at least six people dead. The US , which has a reward of $5m on his head, said it had no information. He was wrongly reported to have been killed in 2006 in a strike aimed at al-Qaeda deputy head Ayman al-Zawahiri. The pre-dawn strike targeted a house near a mosque in the village of Azam Warsak , 20km west of the main town in South Waziristan , Wana. It was suspected to be a strike by US forces, with residents saying they had heard US drones, but this has not been confirmed. Pakistani military spokesman Maj Gen Abbas said it was still awaiting "authentic information" from the area. Also known as Abu Khabab al-Masri, is an Egyptian national. The US government's Rewards for Justice Website says he is "an explosives expert and poisons trainer working on behalf of al-Qaeda". It says he trained hundreds of militants in chemical and explosives operations at a camp at Derunta in Afghanistan . The BBC in Islamabad says the militant was considered part of Osama Bin Laden's inner circle and was said to be in charge of efforts to gain access to, or develop, weapons of mass destruction. Local residents said the house targeted belonged to a local tribesman and suspected militants used to stay there. The US is reported to have carried out a number of drone missile attacks in the tribal regions. Pakistan has complained the attacks could damage bilateral relations. The latest strike came shortly before Pakistani Prime Minister Gilani was due to meet US President Bush in Washington . White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said she had no information about the incident. In recent months the US and its allies have pledged hundreds of millions of dollars in military and other forms of assistance to help Pakistan 's new government tackle militancy in border tribal areas.

Analysis/Road Ahead: Multiple news sources cite Abu Khabab al-Masri’s death by US missile strike in Pakistan , if confirmed; his death would pose a potentially substantial setback to al-Qaeda as al-Masri was considered an essential dynamic in al-Qaeda’s quest for weapons of mass destruction. An alleged member of Osama Bin Laden's inner circle his death would represent a direct blow to the al-Qaeda leadership and could indicate Osama Bin Laden's own security is at risk as intelligence revealed al-Masri’s location, so Bin Laden is conceivably also susceptible to discovery. While al-Masri was erroneously reported killed in 2006 confirmation of his death is vital otherwise al-Qaeda’s propaganda machine will illuminate/exploit the US failure. This missile strike was also significant as its timing occurred just prior to Pakistan ’s Premier meeting President Bush. Imaginably this missile strike intervention in Pakistan influenced Pakistan ’s Premier’s to vow to fight "extremists/terrorists" and to secure its porous border with Afghanistan .

Sources: BBC, The Scotsman, Times Online, Turkish Press, AFP, NYT, KUNA, Daily Times, Press TV, Reuters, AP, Inter Services Public Relations, 28 Jul 08

Al-Qaeda Member Among 35 Activists Of Banned Extremist Groups Arrested

Source: IRNA, 25 Jul 08

Pakistani security forces have arrested a member of al-Qaeda and 35 activists of banned extremist group during an operation in the country's northwest, the Interior Ministry said Friday.

            The arrest of Amjad, a key al-Qaeda member and other activists of outlawed groups was made in Hangu, a major city in the North West Frontier Province , Interior Advisor Rehman Malik said. The army said this week that the forces ended operation against local Taliban in Hangu after 'achieving all targets'. Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said that 20 local Taliban were killed and 60 others arrested during the week-long operation, launched after Taliban shot dead 17 soldiers. Malik told reporters that the arrested men are being questioned by the security agencies for their activities. The government had earlier claimed the arrest of Rafiuddin, the deputy commander of Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsod but Taliban denied the claim.

            The Interior Advisor said that suicide attacks have ended in the country's eastern Punjab and southern Sindh province and suicide attacks decreased in the troubled northwest by 80 per cent. In another development, tribal elders have brokered a temporary ceasefire between the local Taliban and the government forces in Hangu. Taliban released as a goodwill gesture eight government workers of 50 kidnapped government employees and security personnel, a tribal elder said. A jirga or council of elders held talks with local officials and local Taliban and announced a ceasefire after securing assurances from both side, Maulana Hussain Asghar, a member of the jirga said. Taliban handed over eight abductees to the jirga members as goodwill gesture, Asghar said and said that the ceasefire will continue till a formal agreement is reached. He added that Taliban have stopped all activities after the ceasefire. The jirga and Taliban will formally launch negotiations on Monday, he said.

 

Article Says TV Interview Proves Al-Qa'ida Leaders Not Present in Pakistan

Source: Pakistan Observer Online, in English (OSC), 25 Jul 08

Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, the man believed to be Al-Qaeda's commander of operations in Afghanistan, has given a rare television interview to a private Pakistani TV channel.

            In the rare interview broadcast on Monday, July 21, 2008, al-Yazid confirmed to Geo TV that Al-Qaeda carried out the June bombing of the Danish embassy in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad . Geo say the interview was carried out by Geo TV's reporter Najib Ahmad in an undisclosed location in the Afghan province of Khost , in the east of the country. This is the first interview granted by a senior Al-Qaeda member to the independent media since 2002. Mustafa Ahmed Muhammad Uthman Abu al-Yazid (born December 17, 1955, also known as Sheikh Saeed, is an Egyptian Islamic militant and the current Al-Qaeda commander of operations in Afghanistan. Al-Yazid was imprisoned for three years in Egypt because of involvement in the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat in 1981. During this time or shortly after he joined Egyptian Islamic Jihad, and in 1988 went to Afghanistan where he played a role in founding Al-Qaeda. The 53-year-old Egyptian, wearing a commando jacket, a white turban and dyed beard, spoke to the camera in Arabic, holding a Geo microphone in hand.

            He confirmed that an Al-Qaeda operative carried out the 2 June suicide attack on the Danish embassy in Islamabad . "We are proud of that attack, and I had congratulated my colleagues for conducting it successfully," he said. "We had chosen a time for the attack when there would be no innocent Muslims around," he added. All of the eight people who died in the attack were reported to have been Muslims. Shortly after the attack Mustafa Abu al-Yazid said on the internet that the attack was in revenge for the reprinting by Danish newspapers of a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad considered blasphemous by many Muslims. Mustafa Abu al-Yazid is understood to be the operational commander of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan - a position which the Western intelligence community has long viewed as pivotal to the planning and execution of militant attacks around the world. He is also reported to have managed the finances for the 11 September, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington . He told the interviewer that al-Qaeda was "properly involved" in those attacks, as well as the 1998 attacks on US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania .

            Mustafa Abu al-Yazid also denounced the Pakistani government for fighting Islamic militants, justified suicide attacks and predicted victory for Taliban and Al-Qaeda forces in Afghanistan . He is thought to have climbed to the number three position in Al-Qaeda about a year ago when his predecessor, Abu Ubaida al-Masri, died of hepatitis. This is the first interview given by a senior Al-Qaeda figure since May 2002, when two key figures in the 9/11 attacks, Khalid Sheik Mohammed and Ramzi bin al-Shibh, were questioned by a reporter for the al-Jazeera television channel. Mustafa Abu al-Yazid has claimed his organization's responsibility for Benazir Bhutto's assassination in Dec 2007. Earlier too just after the assassination, according to Asia Times, he had claimed: "We terminated the most precious American asset which vowed to defeat Mujahedin." "This is our first major victory against those [e.g., Bhutto and President Pervez Musharraf] who have been siding with infidels [the West] in a fight against Al-Qaeda and declared a war against Mujahedin," Mustafa told Asia Times Online by telephone. He said the death squad consisted of Punjabi associates of the underground anti-Shi'ite militant group Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, operating under Al-Qaeda orders.

            The assassination of Bhutto was apparently only one of the goals of a large Al-Qaeda plot, the existence of which was revealed earlier. In his interview, Al-Yazid said the morale of fighters in Afghanistan is very high and they are putting up a tough fight against US troops. He said the resistance is gathering momentum and has become unstoppable. Listing the attacks launched by Al-Qaeda, he took credit for the attacks on US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya . He said the Karzai government would meet the same fate as other 'traitors'. There is no government that supports Al-Qaeda as the rulers have sold their faith and by doing so they have put themselves beyond the pale of Islam. He claimed that it was because of the sacrifices of the Mujahedin that Russia was unable to enter Pakistan . Musharraf's men arrested and subjected them to violence and handed them over to the Americans. What is a bigger example of collaboration with the infidels than this? This is a crime that can never be forgotten, he said.

            He said many eminent Islamic scholars have justified the practice of suicide bombing. The official Maulvis parrot those Fatwa that they are told to. He said the aim is to engage in direct combat but in many places it is not possible to reach the enemy. He maintained that it is not legitimate to target mosques in this way. He denied Al-Qaeda's hand in the attack on Aftab Sherpao in a mosque, saying his supporters never target mosques. A statement to this effect was issued to the Pakistani press soon after the attack. He condemned violence near or inside mosques and said defending the sanctity of such places of worship is every Muslim's duty. He paid tributes to Khalid Sheikh and termed him a fearless person who the Muslim Ummah is proud of. He prayed that God's curse fall on the government that handed him over to the US . Two very strong messages come out of this interview. First it lays to rest the speculation by the west that the Al-Qaeda is located in Pakistan . The interview was conducted in the Afghan province of Khost . If al-Yazid is comfortably giving interviews to private Pakistani TV channels sitting in Khost, then we can imagine where else the other Al-Qaeda leaders must be located, enjoying Afghan hospitality. The second aspect is of the allegation of Pakistan 's complicity with the militants. Mustafa Abu al-Yazid has claimed in the exclusive interview that Pakistan has damaged the terrorist organization more than any other country. This statement should put to rest any further snide comments and finger pointing regarding Pakistan 's commitment to the global war on terror.