Al-Qaida influence apparent in groups in Pakistan

AP on Yahoo ^ | 10/25/08 | Kathy Gannon - ap

[NormsRevenge]

PESHAWAR, Pakistan – Almost three years ago, Sajjad Khan used to buy supplies for the Pakistani Taliban with U.S. dollars that he says came from al-Qaida.

Now he realizes what al-Qaida is getting in exchange. Khan's 13-year-old nephew has been pulled from a madrassa to train as a suicide bomber, and Khan fears he himself might be killed for begging the boy not to go.

"The Taliban come in secret and take them for training from the madrassa," said Khan, a burly, black-bearded Pashtun, holding a picture of his young nephew. "They go to the Taliban but they get their training from the Arabs. It all comes from al-Qaida."

Al-Qaida's influence runs like a thread through the myriad of militant groups on the Pakistani border — it ties the groups together, yet is often hard to discern. The hidden nature of al-Qaida's presence makes it harder for the U.S. and Pakistan to fight, especially when the two countries disagree on which groups pose the greatest threat.

"Al-Qaida is strictly behind the scenes — as a force multiplier, providing training, expertise both in combat arms and propaganda," says Bruce Hoffman, terrorism expert at Georgetown University in Washington.

[NormsRevenge]

Members of the media point their video cameras at a Pakistan's army soldier holding a rocket-propelled grenade near Loisam town in the Bajaur tribal region October 25, 2008. Pakistani forces have turned the corner in the country's main front in its war against militancy with the capture of a strategically important village after heavy fighting, the commander of the operation said on Saturday. (Emilio Morenatti/Pool/Reuters)