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Pakistan Arrests 21 Suspected Militants
Police raided an office of an Islamic militant group in a town in remote western Pakistan, seizing weapons and detaining 21 suspects, authorities said Wednesday. Most of the men are believed to be members of Jamiat-ul-Ansar, a group previously known as Harkat-ul-Mujahadeen, police said. They were arrested Tuesday on a raid on an office in Dera Ismail Khan, 180 miles southwest of the capital, Islamabad. The suspects are believed to have gone underground to avoid arrest when Pakistan banned Harkat-ul-Mujahadeen and four other radical groups after a Dec. 13, 2001 attack on the Indian parliament, for which New Delhi blamed Pakistan-based militants. Dozens of men with ties to Harkat-ul-Mujahadeen were detained last year by Pakistan in an effort to ease tensions with India. However, most were freed after filing bonds pledging to steer clear of militancy. "Promise to be good? Yes. Ok, you're free to go." The group is one of the main factions fighting in Indian Kashmir for its merger with Pakistan. Members also fought alongside the Taliban in Afghanistan against U.S.-led coalition forces that overthrew the hardline Islamic militia. Police have accused members of an offshoot of the group of targeting McDonald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken outlets in Pakistan. Members of another Harkat-ul-Mujahadeen splinter group are on trial for allegedly masterminding the June 14 car bomb attack outside the U.S. Consulate that killed 12 Pakistanis and injured 50 others. Those arrested Tuesday were planning to reorganize their activities in Indian Kashmir, Deputy Inspector General Police, Abid Saeed, told The Associated Press from Dera Ismail Khan. Some had received training at camps in Afghanistan and Kashmir, he said. However, Saeed said it isn't clear whether any had links with terrorist activities in Pakistan. That, of course, depends on how you define terrorist actions. Once investigations are complete, investigators will assess "what was the motive of these militants and what they wanted to do," he said. They want to kill people and break things. That clear enough? Posted by: Steve 2003-01-29 |
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