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| India-Pakistan | |
| Pak Mil Under A--Q Attack | |
| 2011-05-24 | |
The brazen al-Qaeda-linked attack on the Pakistan navy's Mehran air base in the southern port city of Karachi on Sunday night marks the violent beginning of an internal ideological struggle between Islamist elements in the Pakistani armed forces and their secular and liberal top brass. The attack has been claimed by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, but Asia Times Online contacts are adamant that the operation was orchestrated by al-Qaeda to avenge the killing of Osama bin Laden this month by US Special Forces and carried out by 313 Brigade - the operational arm of al-Qaeda that is headed by Ilyas Kashmiri.
According to eye witnesses reports, the militants acted in a calm and relaxed way, firing at intervals. They appeared to have complete knowledge of the base and frequently changed their position. Very much like the Mumbai attack, the militants were well-equipped with arms, ammunition, food and drink. "It was shown several months ago that the Pakistan navy is vulnerable to Islamists when a marine commando unit official was arrested," the security official said. "He was a member of the Mehsud tribe from South Waziristan [tribal area] and was completely indoctrinated by militants. Naval Intelligence never shared the information with the ISI [Inter-Services Intelligence] or any other security agency that during interrogation he confessed that militants planned to attack installations during the visit of a foreign delegation. Now, they [intelligence] realize how the organization [navy] is riddled and vulnerable to the influence of militant organizations," the official said. The attack is similar to other major ones in the South Asian war theater: Mumbai on November 26, 2008 - 10 militants went on a three-day rampage. Police Academy in Lahore in 2009 - least 23 people dead and hundreds injured. The Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore in 2009 - six policemen killed and several injured. General Headquarters Rawalpindi in 2009 - several hostages taken and then released. Parade Lane Mosque Rawalpindi in 2009 - at least 40 killed. Pakistani security forces confirmed that at least three of these attacks were carried out by 313 Brigade led by Ilyas Kashmiri while the others were blamed on Pakistani militants trained by Kashmiri After the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US, Pakistan's top brass took a policy turn and joined in the US's "war on terror", but a large chunk of officers took retirement and with serving colleagues they helped the Taliban. This changed the dynamics of the Afghan war theater. This collection of former and serving officers was responsible for a number of attacks on the military, including on military headquarters in 2009 and against ex-president General Pervez Musharraf. Now, this nexus could become active again to revive regional operations, in addition to a possible mutiny against the top military brass. Before the incident in Karachi, Asia Times Online was contacted by militants by telephone to confirm future attacks in the following words: "We don't want any trouble inside Pakistan or in the Pakistan army, but we do want to create an environment in which it would be conducive for pro-Islam and patriotic elements in the armed forces to dislodge incompetent and pro-American military officials." This is the third attack on a naval installation in the past 30 days - two were launched before Bin Laden's assassination. Kashmiri's 313 Brigade, which was earlier focused on Afghanistan, has clearly now turned its sights on Pakistan, where Kashmiri is known to have powerful connections among retired and serving officials in the armed forces. More attacks are inevitable. Syed Saleem Shahzad is Asia Times Online's Pakistan Bureau Chief | |
| Posted by:Pappy |