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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Libbi gives up al-Qaeda network in Pakistan |
| 2005-05-09 |
| The recent arrest of Abu Farj Al-Libbi, number three in Al-Qaeda rank, has revealed that Al-Qaeda's terrorist plans in Pakistan target foreigners, government installations and the President of Pakistan, a key US ally in the war on terror. According to Interior Ministry sources Al-Qaeda in collaboration with local outlawed militant groups including Jaish-e-Mohammed (JEM) had planned bomb and rocket attacks on President General Pervez Musharraf, the US and other foreign missions and vital government installations in the country later this year. Sources said Al-Qaeda had hired local militants to carry out suicide attacks, adding that they were buying arms and ammunition from tribal belt bordering war-ravaged and lawless country of Afghanistan. Sources said the Al-Qaeda investment started coming to limelight with the arrest of two Algerian Al-Qaeda facilitators last month from a remote area in the outskirts of Peshawar, capital of North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), on a tip-off being provided by the US intelligence. Forces also seized important documents and wireless telephone sets from their possessions. Their arrest led to the closure of US Consulate in Karachi for at least three days. The consulate sources said officials had been receiving threatening calls. A week later, the commander of US-led troops in Afghanistan, David Barno, visited Islamabad, disclosed launching of a new operation against Taliban and Al-Qaeda rebels in the tribal belt with the help of US intelligence. However, Pakistan categorically rejected his statements. Police, two-days after the Consulate re-opened, in a commando action arrested two Islamic militants and seized huge cache of ammunition, which could be used to make around 200 powerful bombs. Finally, earlier this month, forces arrested Al-Libbi after a heavy gunfight, along with his four foreign accomplices, including another most-wanted Arab suspect but authorities have declined to divulge his identity. Abu Farjs arrest was widely welcomed by the international community and seen as a key to find elusive Osama bin Laden and others in the terrorist network's inner circle. Intelligence officials say he was in direct contact with Laden and his chief lieutenant, Ayman Zawahiri. His arrest triggered more raids in the eastern Punjab province and NWFP, hunting down more than eighteen Al-Qaeda linked militants, including two armymen, Mushataq Ahmed, who escaped from the jail a week after his conviction in two assassination attacks on Musharraf in 2003, and Imtiaz Hussain, who was planning several attacks in the congested areas of adjoining Rawalpindi city. Sources said the arrest of Farj also unearthed links of few low-ranking soldiers with the terror network. A local English-daily Dawn reported that the security agencies were hunting Al Qaeda supporters in the armed forces. It said military officials connected with the Afghan cell during 1996-2001 were prime suspects. The report added that Al-Libbi had connections with Pakistani jihadis and members of the armed forces, some of whom had participated in the two assassination attempts. Two soldiers and an air force technician were sentenced to death and one soldier was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for their involvement in near-miss attempts on President Musharraf in 2003. The military spokesman, Shaukat Sultan, when contacted rejected the report and said no such investigation is being carried out. He added that such elements were no more there in the forces. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |