Terror from Amman to
Karachi By Syed Saleem Shahzad
KARACHI - The powerful car bomb that
killed at least six people in the Pakistani port
city of Karachi on Tuesday morning has confirmed
the worst fears of intelligence agencies that the
recent al-Qaeda-claimed suicide attacks in Amman,
Jordan, mark an intensification in activities
against countries that sympathize with the US in
the "war on terror".
Pakistani security
contacts told Asia Times Online that they saw a
clear link between the Amman and Karachi attacks
and that there would now be an upsurge in violence
after a lull of several months. They pointed out,
though, that al-Qaeda-linked activity in these two
countries also represented divisions within the
organization.
The massive car bomb in
Karachi ripped through an outlet of US-based KFC
and damaged two five-star hotels in a
high-security
area
of Karachi at 8.45am. The blast virtually
destroyed the restaurant, located in a government
building, and damaged the Pearl Continental and
Sheraton luxury hotels.
The security
officials said the timing of the explosion, before
the area was busy, indicated the attack was partly
symbolic, especially as it took place in such a
high security zone. The area is home to the
headquarters of the Pakistan Rangers, the chief
minister's house and the governor's house.
From Amman to Karachi Jordan
has developed into a strategic backyard for US and
coalition forces, which use the country for
important political and economic meetings related
to Iraq, while the intelligence community uses the
country as a base to keep an eye on the Iraqi
resistance, for which Jordan and Syria are the
main recruitment centers.
Sunday's suicide
attacks at three upscale hotels in Amman aimed at
sending an unequivocal message to the Jordanian
monarchy, the majority of whose subjects are
pro-Taliban or anti-American Palestinians. More
such operations can be expected in an effort to
destabilize the kingdom.
Similarly,
Pakistan's leaders - and US interests - have been
frequent victims of terror attacks since President
General Pervez Musharraf threw the country's lot
in with the US after September 11, 2001 and
reversed support for the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Targeting Jordan and Afghanistan, however,
does not represent the pattern of thinking of
mainstream al-Qaeda, which still abides by the
thoughts of the Muslim Brotherhood, which
essentially dictate that all segments of Muslim
society should be galvanized in the fight against
America and Israel.
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi,
al-Qaeda's leader in Iraq, who claimed
responsibility for the Amman attacks, and Egyptian
Abu Amro Abdul Hakeem, also known as Sheikh Essa,
in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border area, represent
factions that have deviated from the core, and who
will fight against any US ally, even if it happens
to be Muslim.
The Essa group, whose allies
in Pakistan include the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, an
anti-Shi'ite group, and other breakaway factions
of the Jaish-i-Mohammed and the Harkatul
Mujahideen, reject outright the presence of North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and US troops
in the earthquake disaster-struck areas of
Pakistan-administered Kashmir, even though they
are only helping with relief operations there -
especially in Balakot and Manshera.
A vast
percentage of Pakistan's prayer leaders (of
whatever belief) come from Balakot and Manshera
and they are assigned to mosques and
madrassas (seminaries) all over the
country. The same areas have also traditionally
been the main suppliers of mujahideen. Manshera is
renowned for its militant training camps.
As soon as it was learned that Musharraf
had agreed to NATO and US forces being allowed
into the area following October's quake, Pakistani
Minister of Information Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed and
others began receiving warnings that there would
be consequences.
Tuesday's car bomb attack
in Karachi is one of them.
Syed
Saleem Shahzad, Bureau Chief, Pakistan Asia
Times Online. He can be reached at
saleem_shahzad2002@yahoo.com
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