Pakistan-based Lashker raises suicide squads in Iraq

New Kerala ^ | june 13, 2004 | Journalist

[AdmSmith]

New Delhi, June 13 (IANS) :

The Lashker-e-Taiba, a powerful Pakistan-based terror group active in Jammu and Kashmir, has raised a "full-blown unit for suicide squad operations against Western forces" in Iraq, a media report said Sunday.

Up to 2,000 men between the ages of 18 and 25 have reportedly signed up for the Lashker's armed operations in Iraq, the authoritative The Hindu reported in a lead story.

Sources close to Lashker's overall head, Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, were quoted as saying the group hoped to send at least some suicide squad members to Iraq overland through the porous Iran-Pakistan border.

Most of the suicide squad volunteers were from towns in the Pakistani province of Punjab, where the Lashker's overground political organisation, the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, wields considerable influence, the report said.

A majority of volunteers were drawn from the ranks of seminary students at Muridke near Lahore, Jamaat-ud-Dawa's main centre. Some volunteers were raised from the Binori town seminary in Karachi, run by fundamentalist cleric Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai until he was assassinated, it said.

The report, datelined New Delhi and Islamabad, was written by Praveen Swami, a leading Indian defence and strategic affairs journalist who specialises on terrorism and the situation in Kashmir.

Hafiz Mohammad Saeed was quoted as having told followers at a recent meeting that "Islam is in grave danger and the mujahideen are fighting to keep its glory. They are fighting the forces of evil in Iraq in extremely difficult circumstances. We should send mujahideen from Pakistan to help them."

Saeed's comments were reportedly made at a private meeting in the Jamia al-Qudsia mosque in Lahore late last month.

In April, The Hindu had reported that a key Lashker commander, Danish Ahmad, had been held by allied troops in Iraq. Ahmad reportedly played a central role in the group's operations in Jammu and Kashmir from 1999, operating under the alias of Abdul Rehman al-Dakhil.

"Ahmad was first held by British forces in the southern city of Basra, and has since been interrogated by Central Intelligence Agency personnel. Western intelligence experts initially dismissed Ahmad's initiative in Iraq as a one-off enterprise, but the new information emanating from Pakistan may force a re-think," the report said.

It said Ahmad might have trained many of the men now being prepared for combat in Iraq. Islam-ud-Din, a Lashker operative arrested in 1999, told Indian intelligence that Ahmad had trained hundreds of cadres at Lashker's Maskar Abu Bashir camp in using arms and explosives.

While the Lashker has historically backed sectarian violence against Pakistan's Shia minority, Saeed attempted to break with the past at the recent meeting. "America has failed to divide Shia and Sunni Muslims despite masterminding sectarian violence in Pakistan," he was quoted as telling followers.

"America is now bending over backwards to foment a Shia-Sunni divide in Iraq. But we should not forget that Muqtada al-Sadr is a hero of Islam. Forget that he is a Shia. He is a great Mujahid because he is fighting the worst devil on earth, that is, America. It is our religious duty to support him," Saeed told the gathering.

"Saeed's tone on events in Iraq has intrigued observers, given his historically comfortable relationship with the military and intelligence establishments in Pakistan," the report said.

"The US and Britain are raping our mothers and sisters," Saeed was quoted as saying. "In this situation jihad becomes mandatory against them. The mujahideen are our last hope. If they are not supported today, then tomorrow, Islam will be erased from the map of the world."

Referring to possible Pakistani troop commitments in Iraq, Saeed said he would support President Pervez Musharraf "if he sends troops to Iraq to fight against the US and Britain. If he sends them to support the US, then we will spearhead a countrywide campaign against him."

The report said: "Despite its venomous polemic against Musharraf, and its presence on a Pakistani government terrorism watch-list, the Jamaat-ud-Dawa has enjoyed considerable freedom to raise funds and recruit cadre in recent months."

Musharraf declared the Lashkar-e-Taiba a terrorist outfit Jan 13, 2002, following the attack on the Indian parliament on Dec 13, 2001. The Jamaat-ud-Dawa, however, escaped censure by changing its name from the earlier Markaz Dawa wal'Irshad.

The Lashker, along with another Pakistan-based group Jaish-e-Mohammed, is also banned in India.

The report said if Saeed's claims were true, there could be "serious trouble ahead for the beleaguered Western forces in Iraq. His organisation was among the pioneers in the use of suicide bombings in Kashmir, which started in 1999."

The Lashker claims to have orchestrated around 200 suicide attacks between 1999 and 2002

[AdmSmith]

This organisation was among the pioneers in the use of suicide bombings in Kashmir, which started in 1999.

[AdmSmith]

Time to take out Hafiz Mohammad Saeed.

[sgtbono2002]

They call this religion Islam, is that a synonym for Insane?

[ARepublicanForAllReasons]

A majority of volunteers were drawn from the ranks of seminary students at Muridke near Lahore, Jamaat-ud-Dawa's main centre. Some volunteers were raised from the Binori town seminary in Karachi, run by fundamentalist cleric Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai until he was assassinated, it said.

It isn't Hafiz Mohammad Saeed or his organization, it's the seminaries where students are brainwashed 24/7 from the age of 5. It seems nobody can move against these terrorist factories operating under the auspicies of legitimate religion. Not Mushareff, not the House of Saud, certainly not the USA.

Both the House of Saud and President Mushareff are between a rock and a hard place. I doubt they can hold on to power much longer. If radicals take over Pakistan, they will eventually use their nukes against us, given their mentality. Then we take them out for good.

[AdmSmith]

Yes they have a hard time. However, if they take out all fundamentalists and allocate money to real schools this will compete with the extremists madrasa, that are free. Add a ban on certain charities and we will in 20 years time have a change.

[nuconvert]

"Saeed's tone on events in Iraq has intrigued observers, given his historically comfortable relationship with the military and intelligence establishments in Pakistan,"

"Intrigued"? Yeah, I'LL Say.
Well, he's on our list

[ARepublicanForAllReasons]

we will in 20 years time have a change.

Fine, but what about the next 20 months? AQ is actively trying to assassinate all moderate heads of Muslim countries -- in Pakistan, in Iraq, in Saudi Arabia. They aim to destabilize and overthrow these governments, and it won't take them 20 years. I am just glad that Saudi Arabia hasn't got nuclear weapons!

[swarthyguy]

Ping. More Paki treachery. As if Musharraf, the ISI and the military aren't aware, if not encouraging this.

[AdmSmith]

Yes, they are aware of this, and yes, ISI was one of the instigators. However the present bosses of ISI and Musharraf is not encouraging them. The Paki intel is under reorganization and no one can stay there more than 3 years and are not allowed to come back. Furthermore they have a vetting system. This will reduce the risk of infiltration by fundamentalists.

Many are not fully impressed, but this is a start to reverse the policies by the disaster Zia ul Haq.

[Cronos]

Hey, Pakistan is our ally!!! They can't be training jihadis by the thousands. They can't be the only nation with theIslami cbomb. They can't be the ones selling nuclear weapons to North Korea, Iran, Libya etc. etc. THey can't be the ones supporting alQaeda. They can't be the ones with the largest terrorrist organisations. THey can't have shariah law. Wait a minute, they already have all that...

Tell me again, why are they our allies?

[swarthyguy]

1. We didn't want to take on a country with 130 million people, a professional standing army and totally indoctrinated in jihad.

2. The Saudis wouldn't like it.

3. Leftover ColdWar mentality.

4. Naivete about the Paki mindset.

I mean, just because the Intel Chief wired a chunk of cash to Atta via Omar Sheikh doesn't mean Mush knew about 911.

[Cronos]

Points 2 and 3 make sense. Point 1: We don't have to take on 130 million people alone, not when we can have 1 billion people next door as allies. Point 2: The Sauds can stuff it. They would be quakin in their boots because the Pakis were the only suckkers they could get to become jihadis on Saud oil money.

oh Mush knows about 9/11. He's no better than Saddam. In fact he's worse. Let's compare Saddy and Mushie -- both military dictators. Both came to power in coups. Both have sham elections where they win 98% of the vote. Both declare themselves el Presidente. Both have WMD. And that's where Mushie is worse -- he already HAD nukes, he already HAS theIslamic bombb.