BRUSSELS: Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf warned the West on Tuesday that Taliban insurgents were a more dangerous terrorist force than Al Qaeda because of the broad support they had in Afghanistan. "The centre of gravity of terrorism has shifted from Al Qaeda to the Taliban," he told EU lawmakers, adding, "This is a new element, a more dangerous element, because it (the Taliban) has its roots in the people. Al Qaeda didn't have roots in the people."
Musharraf said he was certain that Taliban fighters were being commanded by former Taliban ruler Mullah Omar from a base in southern Afghanistan, where NATO troops are struggling to contain an insurgency. Musharraf rejected criticism that Pakistan was not doing enough to prevent the Taliban from mounting attacks on NATO troops and also urged the international community to do more to rebuild Afghanistan. |