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Pakistan: Al-Qaeda groups linked to bomb attack, say experts
(AKI) - By Syed Saleem Shahzad - Pakistan's Tehrik-i-Taliban has denied any involvement in the devastating bomb attack at the Marriott hotel in Islamabad at the weekend."Nope. Nope. Wudn't us." But sources close to Adnkronos International (AKI) reveal that particular Pakistani groups linked with Al-Qaeda, such as Fidayeen-e-Islam, may have been behind the attack as Pakistan is about to embrace a new partnership with US forces. The suicide bomb that targeted the hotel in the heart of the capital, killed at least 53 people and injured more than 266 others, a short distance from the country's parliament building. There were conflicting reports that Pakistan's political and military leaders were expected to dine at the hotel on Saturday night and changed their plans at the last minute. Former Pakistani spy master, Retired Lt. General Hamid Gul said that the militants had watched their target for days and then selected a vehicle carrying construction materials and loaded the vehicle with over 600 kilogrammes of explosives. There could be a variety of reasons for the selection of Hotel Marriott as a target. No one is certain whether political leaders were the targets. Pakistan's advisor for interior Rehman Malik said that the Speaker of the National Assembly Dr Fahmida Mirza planned to host a dinner for President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani at the hotel, but the venue was changed at the last minute. However, there is no precedent of any such high profile dinners being hosted at the Marriott or any other hotel. The hotel's management also denied any booking, which has raised questions about whether the government is trying to cover up its incompetence for failing to provide security to its citizens and to the foreign nationals and also failing to arrange effective firefighting to extinguish the fire. According to reports, it took two hours for firefighters to charge their batteries so that they could use power hose. In addition, authorities did not have snorkels to reach the upper floors of the building and rescue people. Sources said that militants took their action, not simply because of conflict in the Bajaur agency near the Afghan border, but broader US plans in the region against which militants carried out a pre-emptive strike. Only 20 kilometres from Islamabad lies Tarbella, headquarters of Pakistan's Special Operation Task Force (SOTF) and 300 US officials recently arrived here to offering training to their Pakistani colleagues. However, highly placed security sources confirmed that this is not simply a training programme. In the mid-1990s, during the government of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, a special CIA unit was located at the same place in a bid to catch Osama Bin Laden but due to a military coup in 1999, the unit could not achieve its targets and was asked to abandon the facility. There is speculation that the preparations are setting the stage for a war theatre in Pakistan's troubled North West Frontier Province and is aiming to setup a powerful push from all four side around the sanctuaries of the militants belonging to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda led by Osama bin Laden. Posted by: Fred 2008-09-23 |
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