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| India-Pakistan |
| Al-Qaeda insurgents move on Kashmir |
| 2002-06-03 |
| Al-Qaeda fighters who fled Afghanistan to Pakistan are poised to enter Kashmir, Indian Defence Minister George Fernandes said in an interview published yesterday. "We have information that al-Qaeda men were in Pakistan and are now poised to enter Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan does not want to keep them there to create problems for itself," Fernandes said in the Hindustan Times newspaper interview. Seems they turned out to be a weapon that was sharp on both ends... "This is what is worrying us more than anything else. They are all in camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir," he added. He said it was difficult to pinpoint the camps since they are "makeshift" and can easily be moved from one place to another. "The moment you say that they are in this particular spot, they promptly shift them. People can mix with the local population so Pakistan can claim there are no camps," Fernandes said. That's what they did in Afghanistan. But the arrogance and viciousness of the Arabs and Chechens made the people around them not that fond of 'em, if y'know what we mean... A senior Indian military officer said on Friday there was strong evidence that al-Qaeda fighters fleeing Afghanistan have joined up with Islamic militants in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. "There was a plethora of reports that al-Qaeda had merged with militant camps here," the official said, on condition of anonymity. "I feel it is a reasonable assumption. The army has not shot any of them (al-Qaeda) on our side. (But) there are very positive indicators of their presence," he said. Seems likely they'd work primarily as trainers for the common herd, have one or two "special operations" organizations, and form the bodyguard around Binny's sick bed... Fernandes told a security conference in Singapore that cross-border incursions in Indian Kashmir were part of the same war on terrorism born from the September 11 attacks and deserved the same international response. India had shown restraint and "refrained from bombing the swamp that was breeding terrorists," he said. "I believe the global community, led by the US, can prevail upon Pakistan to live up to its responsibilities," he said. Sounds like wishful thinking to me. Pak's government isn't in charge on either its eastern or western border; it's only along for the ride. The fundo organizations are the drivers, and they're not long a things like cause and effect or acting within civilized constraints. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |