Saturday, November 21, 2009, Zilhaj 03, 1430 A.H   ISSN 1563-9479
 Group Chairman: Mir Javed Rahman Founded by: Mir Khalil-ur-Rahman Editor-in-Chief: Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman 
HOME | TOP STORIES | WORLD | NATIONAL | BUSINESS |  SPORTS |  KARACHI | LAHORE | ISLAMABADPESHAWAREDITORIAL | OPINION | STOCK INSTEP TODAY  NEWSPOST
  WEEKLY SECTIONS
   News on Sunday
   You
   Health Body & Mind
   Technobytes
   Iqra
   Galaxy
   Tapestry
   Education-Zine
   Us
   Cyber@print
   Investor's J.
   Viewers' Forum
   Today's Cartoon
   Style
   Business & Finance   Review
   Instep
   MAG Fashion
   Blog
  FEATURES
   Opinion Archive
   Fashion Archive
   Magazine Archive
   Style Archive

  FINANCE
   Currency Rates
   KSE Index
   Bullion Rates
   Prize Bonds

 Al-Qaeda’s global base is Pakistan: Petraeus

Sunday, May 10, 2009
WASHINGTON: Senior leaders of al-Qaeda are using sanctuaries in Pakistan’s lawless frontier regions to plan new terror attacks and funnel money, manpower and guidance to affiliates around the world, according to a top American military commander.

Gen David Petraeus, who oversees the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, said in an interview that Pakistan has become the nerve centre of al-Qaeda’s global operations, allowing the terror group to re-establish its organisational structure and build stronger ties to al-Qaeda offshoots in Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, North Africa and parts of Europe.

The comments underscore a growing US belief that Pakistan has replaced Afghanistan as al-Qaeda’s main stronghold.

“It is the headquarters of the al-Qaeda senior leadership,” said the general, who took the helm of the military’s Central Command last fall.

In the interview, Gen Petraeus also warned of difficult months ahead in Afghanistan, saying the Taliban militants are moving weapons and forces into areas where the US is adding troops, planning a “surge” of their own to counter the US plan.

The commander said the US had intelligence showing that the Taliban were deploying new fighters to southern Afghanistan, appointing new local commanders, and prepositioning weapons and other supplies.

“We have every expectation that the Taliban will fight to retain the sanctuaries and safe havens that they’ve been able to establish,” he said.

“US officials once believed that years of strikes had broken al-Qaeda’s leadership into smaller, less effective splinter groups. But in the interview, Gen Petraeus said US intelligence information suggested that al-Qaeda has re-emerged as a centrally directed organisation capable of helping to plan attacks in other countries. “There is a degree of hierarchy, there is a degree of interconnection, and there is certainly a flow of people, money, expertise, explosives and knowledge,” he said.

Gen Petraeus painted a picture of a globalised al-Qaeda that maintains extensive logistical and communications links to terror groups in Morocco, Somalia and other countries.

He said militants and supplies pass through southern Iran, helped by Sunni Arab “facilitators” in the predominantly Shia Persian country. A ring of Tunisian suicide bombers who were recently apprehended in Iraq appear to have received their directions from al-Qaeda figures in Pakistan as well, he said. “There’s absolutely no question about these links,” he said.

Gen Petraeus said the Pakistani Taliban appear to have overreached by sending fighters into the Buner District, just 60 miles from the capital. Echoing recent comments from top Obama administration officials, he said Pakistan’s government, military and people seemed to have finally accepted that the Taliban pose a threat to their country’s future and must be dealt with.

“There’s a sense of collective determination to respond forcefully,” he said. “The Taliban challenged the very writ of the Pakistani government, and that’s being taken very seriously.” Still, he said it was too soon to gauge the full magnitude or duration of the Pakistani response.

Separately, CIA chief Leon Panetta has said the clear position taken by Pakistan political and military leadership against militancy and terrorism reflects Pakistan seriousness in dealing with the menace.

Talking to media persons, the CIA chief said the meetings with ISI chief Lt-Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha and other Pakistani officials proved fruitful while the tripartite summit and interagency negotiations were also productive.

He said the recent talks between Pakistan and the United States would further boost partnership between the two countries, saying the US has confidence in abilities of Pakistan intelligence agencies and technology and equipment would be provided to them to further improve their performance.

The CIA chief emphasised terrorism is a common challenge for all of us and assistance would be provided to Pakistan in all sectors.

Share this story!   
Back     |    Send this story to Friend    |     Print Version
 
 

‘Al-Qaeda, Taliban leaders not in Pakistan’
ISLAMABAD: Strongly reacting to some of the reports of the presence of al-Qaeda and Taliban leadership in Pakistan by the US newspapers and some intelligence agencies, President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday said    more

Mulla Omar in Karachi, claims WT
WASHINGTON: Mulla Muhammed Omar, the leader of the Afghan Taliban, has fled Quetta and found refuge from the potential US attacks in Karachi with the assistance of Pakistan’s intelligence, the Washington Times    more

Will PM intervene or will robber barons kill CCP?
By Mehtab Haider
ISLAMABAD: The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has warned that it will cease to exist and its actions will become invalid in case the government fails to re-promulgate the Competition Ordinance on or b    more

Eight militants die in US drone attack
By our correspondent
MIRAMSHAH: Eight militants were killed and two others injured when a US drone hit a house in the Michikhel area in North Waziristan on Friday, the second such attack in less than 24 hours. Tribal sources sai    more

19 militants killed in SWA, Khyber, Bajaur clashes
By our correspondents
WANA/BARA/KHAR: Nineteen militants were killed in clashes with security forces in South Waziristan, Khyber and Bajaur tribal regions on Friday. Tribal and officials sources said five militants were kille    more

Pakistan has nothing to fear from India: Singh
WASHINGTON: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said India is ready to resolve all outstanding issues with the country on the condition that it will not allow its territory to be used against its neighbour    more

Qureshi wants result-oriented dialogue with India
MULTAN: Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmud Qureshi said on Friday Pakistan wanted meaningful and result-oriented bilateral negotiations with India. Addressing a press conference at the airport here, h    more

Only 15 pc believe Pakistan is going right
By Gibran Peshimam
KARACHI: Pakistan’s youths are losing confidence in the future and a mere 15 per cent believe that the country is heading in the right direction, while 72 per cent feel economically worse off than a year ago. O    more

Mustafa Jatoi passes away
ISLAMABAD: Former caretaker prime minister Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi breathed his last at the St Marry Hospital in London on Friday after a protracted illness. He was 78. He leaves behind six sons and three d    more

Slaughter of animals, NRO beneficiaries begins on Eid
By Muhammad Ahmad Noorani
ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) will soon announce its strategy to deal with the cases which are going to reopen on Nov 28, a NAB spokesman told The News on Friday. “The NAB chairman    more

WFP, Rescue 15 attacks’ mastermind arrested
By Shakeel Anjum
ISLAMABAD: The Capital Police on Friday arrested the mastermind behind the attacks on the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the Rescue 15 offices in Islamabad. The terrorist, identified as Jamshed Ahmad    more

Mushahid asks Karzai not to allow use of Afghan land against Pakistan
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Secretary General Pakistan Muslim League-Q Mushahid Hussain Sayed on Friday asked President Hamid Karzai not to allow the use of Afghan land against Pakistan under Indian designs. “Pakistan wa    more

No Indo-Pak FMs meeting: Nirupama
NEW DELHI: India on Friday said no meeting had been scheduled between foreign ministers of Pakistan and India in Port of Spain later this month on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (    more

US to tighten control of Afghan contracts: Gates
HALIFAX: US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said on Friday that the United States must tighten control of Afghan development contracts as a first step towards stemming rampant corruption. “The reality is    more

China has stake in Kashmir: Mirwaiz
News Desk
HELD SRINAGAR: As he plans to visit China, Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday kicked up a controversy by saying that Beijing has a “direct link” with the Kashmir issue, drawing strong obje    more

Clinton favours Indo-Pak dialogue on Kashmir
WASHINGTON: The United States is encouraging Pakistan and India to resume their dialogue to address Kashmir and other outstanding disputes but any solution must come from the two countries, Secretary of State H    more

Competition Commission forces PIA to fly fair
By our correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Silent prayers of many Hajis have apparently been answered as the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has ordered PIA to refund within 60 days the excessive fares charged from the passengers, wh    more

Attack on policemen in Peshawar
By Javed Aziz Khan
PESHAWAR: The death toll in the bomb attack on police party in Yakatoot rose to three after a sub-inspector and another cop succumbed to injuries at the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) on Friday as the city mourned    more

‘Musharraf funnelling money to improve image’
ISLAMABAD: Former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf has reportedly funnelled a large amount of money to his former aides in the country in order to improve his image, as he is planning a return to the c    more

Sen Lugar’s wife arrested, charged with drinking, hit-and-run
News Desk
WASHINGTON: The wife of Republican Senator Richard G Lugar was arrested in the suburb of McLean on Wednesday night after crashing into a parked car, and she was charged with drunk driving and hit-and-run, the F    more

briefs...
Bombers kill 23 in Afghanistan HERAT: Bomb attacks on Friday killed 23 people in Afghanistan, a deadly start to President Hamid Karzai’s second term that underscored spiralling insecurity nine years into    more

Google
 
 
The News Home  |  Jang Group Online  |  Jang Multimedia  |  Jang Searchable  |  Ad Tariff / Enquiry |  Editor Internet  |  Webmaster