Don't you just LOVE "Mr. bin Laden?"
How quaint of these reporters to give this thug the courtesy of a "Mr." in front of his name! He is leading the NEW FASCISM!..... but to these staff writers, he's "Mr. bin Laden." . . . like "Sir!"
Posted on 07/25/2005 8:50:50 PM PDT by CHARLITE
General Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's military ruler, claims that the command and control system of al-Qaeda in his country has been destroyed, excluding any possibility that the terrorist network could have carried out this month's bombings in London and Egypt.
In comments that British officials will view with scepticism, Gen Musharraf said al-Qaeda's sanctuaries in the northern tribal region bordering Afghanistan had been destroyed and 700 fighters captured. However, Egyptian authorities on Monday said they were investigating possible Pakistani militant suspects in connection with the bombing early on Saturday at Egypt's Sharm el Sheikh resort.
Meanwhile, in London British officials have expressed growing frustration with the Pakistani security service's inability to crack down on militants or keep a comprehensive register of madrassahs. Three of the four suicide bombers who killed 56 people in London on July 7 were Britons of Pakistani origin.
Tony Blair, the British prime minister, plans a UK initiative for an international conference to be held later this year, probably in Egypt, where western countries can engage with Muslims states on how to combat the al-Qaeda threat.
But Gen Musharraf's words will be seen in London as another sign of how difficult it will be to generate serious co-operation between the west and the Muslim world over the fight against terrorism. Last week he accused the UK government of allowing too many dangerous militants to operate.
The Egyptian government said Pakistani terrorists were suspected to be behind the Egyptian attack. Al-Jazeera, the Arab television channel, reported that a list of suspects put together by the Egyptian interior ministry included at least two Pakistani suspects who might have entered Egypt on Jordanian passports.
Pakistani officials said privately that they had asked Egypt to share any information on the identities of such suspects but the government publicly denied the connection. “What has appeared on these Arab TV channels is highly speculative,” Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, the interior minister, said. “We have no knowledge of any such link and I don't think it is true.”
Gen Musharraf was adamant there was no connection. “Is it possible in this situation that an al-Qaeda man sitting here, no matter who he is, may control things in London, Sharm el Sheikh, Istanbul or Africa?” he said. “This is absolutely wrong.”
His comments appeared directed towards suspicions among western intelligence agents that the attacks bore the hallmarks of al-Qaeda and might have been directed from leaders hiding in Pakistan.
However, there is continuing disagreement on the extent to which the plans of such attacks are put together under the guidance of Osama bin Laden, the Saudi militant head of al-Qaeda, or approved by individual cells in different parts of the world.
There is also disagreement on the whereabouts of Mr bin Laden whose capture or killing would mark the greatest symbolic success for the war on terrorism.
Don't you just LOVE "Mr. bin Laden?"
How quaint of these reporters to give this thug the courtesy of a "Mr." in front of his name! He is leading the NEW FASCISM!..... but to these staff writers, he's "Mr. bin Laden." . . . like "Sir!"
These people are delusional...there will probably be another attack tomorrow...
PING!!!
I don't think Pakistan is involved in the 7/7 attacks. Pakistanis maybe, but not Pakistan as a state. President Musharraf has been quite helpful in our War on Terror, although it would be even more helpful if our troops were in the border regions next to Afghanistan.
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