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| Major attacks on cities planned, claim officials |
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Sunday, April 26, 2009
By Shakeel Anjum
ISLAMABAD: Five top Taliban commanders, who are close aides of Baitullah Mehsud, have left North Waziristan for Islamabad, allegedly with 300 suicide bombers, to attack Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Lahore, Interior Ministry sources have told The News.
The commanders would supervise the terrorist operations, planned by Baitullah Mehsud and the THT (Taliban Himayat Tehrik), in these cities, the sources added.
Secretary Interior Syed Kamal Shah, when contacted for comments, confirmed the report, saying that foolproof security measures had been adopted to thwart such threats. ěThe law-enforcement agencies have chalked out counter strategies to deal with the situation,î the secretary said.
Kamal Shah added that the Northern Areas Scouts would reach Islamabad within a couple of days to help the civil administration in maintaining peace in the capital. ěThis is the prerogative of the police chief to deploy the NAS where he thinks it necessary,î he concluded.
The sources said that an intelligence agency has provided information to the government quarters regarding the Taliban activities, saying that simultaneous suicide bombings followed by sniper attacks could occur.
The Taliban commanders, who are believed to have left for the aforementioned cities, are identified by intelligence agencies as Shikaari, Inayatullah, Walid, Mujahid and Abdali, Interior Ministry sources said. They said all the five terrorist commanders were close aides of Baitullah Mehsud.
A security officer said on condition of anonymity that the Taliban commanders had left North Waziristan on April 11 for Islamabad, along with an explosives-laden Toyota Corolla (2.0D) bearing the registration number IDG-8720. But the law-enforcement agencies were totally unaware whether they had reached their destination or postponed their operation, the officer said.
The sources, quoting the intelligence report, disclosed that about 300 terrorist shooters and suicide bombers would reach Islamabad, along with their five commanders.
To counter serious threats to Islamabad, the federal government has called troops of the Northern Areas Scouts (a paramilitary force under the Army command) to assist the civil administration to protect prominent personalities as well as sensitive installations of the capital city, the Interior Ministry sources told The News.
The ministry has asked the authorities concerned to arrange the required force of the Northern Areas Scouts (NAS) to counter the terrorist threat.
“At least 20 companies of the NAS are required to deal with the possible untoward situation,” the sources said, adding that the NAS would be deployed at sensitive installations and inducted into the motorcade of important personalities.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
