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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Pakistan deploys commandos as Sunni suspects blow themselves up |
| 2005-03-20 |
| Pakistan deployed specially trained anti-Al-Qaeda commandos to guard against sectarian violence as two Sunni militants planning to attack parades by rival Shiites blew themselves up. The so-called Quick Reaction Force -- which formerly battled militants linked to Osama bin Laden's terror network in tribal areas near Afghanistan -- will patrol in sensitive central and northwestern regions. The deployment comes ahead of Ashura, the ceremony marking the death about 1,300 years ago of the prophet Mohammed's grandson, when minority Shiites traditionally stage processions featuring graphic displays of self-harm. The ceremony, which starts late Saturday, is often marked by clashes with Sunnis. Last year's festival was one of the most violent, with 48 people dying in a bloody attack in the southwestern city of Quetta. Police in Quetta said two members of a banned Al-Qaeda linked Sunni extremist group had killed themselves with a grenade early Friday after a raid on their hideout. "The militants could have attacked Shiite processions in the city today and there is also a possibility they were planning to attack the main Ashura procession" on Sunday, said provincial police chief Chaudhry Muhmmad Yaqub. With tensions remaining high, the commandos were biding their time but would be sent out "on an urgent basis to deal with any situation," said Lieutenant General Safdar Hussain, army commander in North West Frontier Province. In a statement Thursday he said troops had been ordered to stay alert in all places where sectarian clashes may happen and "preempt any terrorist acts" during the Ashura ceremonies. The commando force showed its prowess at a dress rehearsal in the central city of Multan on Thursday, where pretend militants attacked a mock Shiite procession and staged a chase with military helicopters and grounds forces. "We wanted to assess the ability of the force and test the security arrangements," the force's commander Brigadier Mohammad Ibraim told reporters. Ashura is held on the 10th day of Muharram, an Islamic mourning month for Imam Hussein whose death in battle in 680 AD led to the split between the Shiites and Sunnis. Shiites mark the day by parading the streets of major cities, beating their chests and whipping themselves with sharp knives fixed to iron chains. Reciting elegies and hymns, participants carry black banners and march behind the replicas of Hussain's tomb in Iraq. However the processions often spark clashes with Sunnis, who make up 80 percent of Pakistan's 150-million population. They oppose the public displays of grief, one of a number of doctrinal differences between the sects. The situation in Pakistan is also tense following deadly riots in the Himalayan gateway town of Gilgit last month prompted by the slaying of a top Shiite leader, and the shooting of a Sunni shrine's custodian in Islamabad this week. The commandos are being deployed in parts of Punjab, Pakistan's largest province, and in North West Frontier Province on the Afghan border, which have been hit by unrest in previous years. Tens of thousands of police and paramilitary forces are covering the rest of the country, officials said, including 4,000 in Islamabad and 15,000 in Karachi. Authorities in Punjab have declared about a dozen places including Jhang, Multan, Faisalabad and Bahawalpur as sensitive areas. "Miscreants trying to disturb peace will be crushed with an iron hand," said the military commander of Faisalabad, Lieutenant General Javed Alam Khan. Clashes between Sunni and Shiite militants in Pakistan have claimed thousands of lives over the past several years. |
| Posted by:phil_b |
| #3 Damn, details, details. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-03-20 5:16:34 PM |
| #2 That's 'cuz it's dated a month ago. Watch the datelines. |
| Posted by: Fred 2005-03-20 3:44:17 PM |
| #1 will patrol in sensitive central and northwestern regions. The deployment comes ahead of Ashura, Dang, how many Ashuras are there in a year? Seems like we just had the big bleed a month ago. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-03-20 8:31:05 AM |