|
|
|
|
Al-Qaeda witch-hunt in Pakistan's
army
By Syed Saleem Shahzad
KARACHI - With the capture in
Pakistan of Libyan Abu Faraj al-Libbi of al-Qaeda,
wanted in connection with two assassination
attempts against President General Pervez
Musharraf in 2003, 
Pakistani authorities are stepping up
investigations into al-Qaeda's investment in the
Pakistan army.
Information gleaned from
well-connected military analysts suggests that
army officials connected with the Afghan cell
during the Taliban period in Afghanistan
(1996-2001) are likely to be in the firing line.
Action is expected soon against several serving
and retired army personnel.
Abu Faraj is
expected to be handed over to the US soon and is
likely to be kept in a US detention center in
Jordan or Morocco. Abu Faraj was deeply connected
with al-Qaeda's North African cells before
becoming involved in Pakistan a few years ago. The
North African cells are al-Qaeda's most preserved,
and are believed to be key to any future strikes
on the US.
Abu Faraj was a trainer at
al-Farooq camp in Afghanistan during Taliban rule.
He trained hundreds of Pakistani men to be sent to
Kashmir to fight against Indian troops. His
training skills in not only explosives but also in
urban guerrilla warfare saw him rise in prominence
and he became popular among the trainees as well
as with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence's
(ISI's) Afghan cell, which preferred al-Farooq
camp ahead of any other al-Qaeda camps in
Afghanistan.
Abu Faraj's interaction with
Pakistanis, whether they were private militants or
military men, was deep and is characterized by the
fact that he was good at Pakistan's national
language, Urdu, which is spoken in urban centers,
in addition to Pashtu. His choice in marriage was
a Pakistani woman.
Abu Faraj had been used
as a facilitator between al-Qaeda's cells in North
Africa and their support system in the United
Kingdom. His first field operation was the
assignment to kill Musharraf, which was delegated
to him because of his proven abilities and his
connections among Pakistani jihadis and members of
the armed forces, some of whom participated in the
two attempts on Musharraf's life. The duty was
assigned by Osama bin Laden's deputy, Dr Ayman
al-Zawahiri.
Al-Qaeda had invested in
Pakistan well before the US invasion of
Afghanistan in late 2001, anticipating the
consequences of the September 11 attack, that is,
that they would be driven out of Afghanistan. It
was that goodwill among military men and jihadis
that Abu Faraj tapped into to carry out his
attacks on Musharraf.
Asia Times Online's
story, Detentions:
A case against Pakistan on April 30
sheds light on how it took about two years to plot
to kill Musharraf. Such a mission obviously
involves the selection of the right people and the
arrangement of finances, etc. Unconfirmed sources
claim that Abu Faraj was not only the mastermind,
but that he also planted a bomb in one of the cars
involved in the second attempt. [1]
After
the attacks, the focus of attention was on two
al-Qaeda operatives, Hadi al-Iraqi and Amjad
Hussain Farooqi, as the main masterminds. However,
Abu Faraj's name came up when people belonging to
militant or welfare groups under the patronage of
the ISI were arrested and they fingered him in
connection with the plot.
The real
significance
There is little chance that
Abu Faraj will be able to cough up any details on
bin Laden leading to his capture: the al-Qaeda
leader is lying extremely low while he chooses a
new role for himself.
However, the real US
interest in Abu Faraj will be in his connections
with al-Qaeda's United Kingdom and North African
cells, the latter being relatively intact in
comparison with others. But it is a matter of
debate as to how up to date Abu Faraj is, as he
has been based in Pakistan for some years.
Note
[1] On December 14,
2003, a bomb blew up a bridge near Rawalpindi
shortly after Musharraf's motorcade had passed
over it. On December 25, Musharraf narrowly
survived two suicide car-bomb attacks on his
motorcade in the same area.
Syed
Saleem Shahzad, Bureau Chief, Pakistan, Asia
Times Online. He can be reached at saleem_shahzad2002@yahoo.com
(Copyright 2005 Asia Times Online Ltd. All
rights reserved. Please contact us for information
on sales, syndication and republishing.) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
All material on this
website is copyright and may not be republished in any form without written
permission.
© Copyright 1999 - 2005 Asia Times
Online Ltd.
|
|
Head
Office: Rm 202, Hau Fook Mansion, No. 8 Hau Fook St., Kowloon, Hong
Kong
Thailand Bureau:
11/13 Petchkasem Road, Hua Hin, Prachuab Kirikhan, Thailand 77110
|
|
|
|
