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| India-Pakistan | |
| Pakistan and the al-Qaeda curse | |
| 2003-09-30 | |
| From Asia Times, salt to taste. Edited for new stuff: The release on Monday of another audio tape purported to be from Egyptian Ayman al-Zawahiri, the No 2 to Osama bin Laden in al-Qaeda, in which he calls Pakistan’s President General Pervez a "traitor", has severely rattled Pakistani intelligence officials. In the tape, aired by the Qatar-based al-Jazeera Arabic TV channel, al-Zawahiri said that people should topple Musharraf as "the president will hand you [army officers and soldiers] over to the Hindus and flee to enjoy his secret bank accounts" if India attacked their country. Pakistani intelligence circles read the messages as a clear signal for al-Qaeda and its allies to take up arms against Musharraf, and to help sympathizers of radical Islamic groups in the country. I don’t think it could be any clearer, do you? Since the release of the first tape attacking Musharraf, he has adopted a number of special security arrangements, including the erection of extra barricades around Army House in Rawalpindi, where he lives. Bet he doesn’t walk the streets in disquise anymore. And since the first tape’s release, al-Qaeda has become more active in Pakistan. One of its members, Hadi al-Iraqi, is known to operate in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border areas near North Wazirstan Agency, along with one Amjad Farooqui, a suspect named in the case of slain US journalist Daniel Pearl. Intelligence sources now tell Asia Times Online that Hadi has traveled into Pakistani cities, including Rawalpindi, and lately even as far as Karachi. These sources say that Hadi, although an Arab, can speak good Pashtu, Dari, and also some Urdu, so he is able to mingle well. They add that al-Zawahiri’s exhortation is aimed not at common Pakistanis, but those who have in the past interacted with al-Qaeda, but under the previous bin Laden orders prohibiting any act of terror on Pakistani soil. Not that there’s any lack of terror from other groups. This could all change now. In the past few days, a local network is learnt to have grouped to plan attacks, similar to those on US embassies in Africa, and the Bali and Riyadh bomb blasts. These attacks will target not only Musharraf, but also prominent aides. Humm, don’t want to lose Musharraf, but a few aides going boom would stir things up. However, key Islamic political and jihadi groups have been quick to They see where that would lead, and they don’t like it. The prominent jihadi outfit, Jamaat ud-Dawa (risen from the ashes of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba), has questioned the authenticity of the tapes. "They’re fake, the Jooooos made them" Intelligence sources also point out that following the arrest or killing of several key al-Qaeda operators in Pakistan, few of its planners remain in the country, apart from Hadi al-Iraqi. Fewer planners, plenty of gunnies. The Asif Ramzi group of the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi (LJ) has been the prime force behind attacks on Western targets in Pakistan. However, it lacks the terror expertise and the finances to carry out sustained attacks. Now, the sources suggest that those al-Qaeda members still holed up in Pakistan, if they linked with the LJ, would be able to form an effective network to answer al-Zawahiri’s calls. Right up to the point they become a threat to Perv’s life, then he will try to crush them.
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| Posted by:Steve |
| #3 Motivational speaker audio tape? Well, if it gets Perv off his ass, then, OK! |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-9-30 2:57:34 PM |
| #2 The release on Monday of another audio tape purported to be from Egyptian Ayman al-Zawahiri, the No 2 to Osama bin Laden in al-Qaeda, in which he calls Pakistan’s President General Pervez a "traitor", has severely rattled Pakistani intelligence officials. How does it feel to be a target now? Hmmm? |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2003-9-30 11:05:01 AM |
| #1 Perv can also crush any MMA/splinter group by publicly connecting them to AQ. Opens up a can of worms for the fundos. Could also lead to a housecleaning at ISI...or Perv dead...interesting |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-9-30 11:02:24 AM |