Pakistan determined to track down Al-Qaeda fugitives

Bangladesh Independent ^ | 6/28/02

[Ranger]

ISLAMABAD, June 27: Pakistan said Thursday its determination to track down al Qaeda fugitives had been bolstered by the death of 10 of its soldiers at the militants' hands this week, but added it needed more Western help to do the job, reports Reuters

Pakistan's army was hunting Thursday for a group of 20 or 30 suspected al Qaeda militants, who escaped this week after a botched raid on their hideout in the country's lawless west.

"Frankly this has motivated us more to make sure that these terrorists ... are brought to book," presidential spokesman Maj. Gen. Rashid Qureshi said. "They have actually exposed themselves for what they are. They aren't fighting any religious war, they are killing anyone and everyone."

Qureshi said the government had already caught and turned over to U.S.-led forces more than 300 suspected al Qaeda or Taliban militants who are thought to have fled to Pakistan from neighboring Afghanistan.

More than 1,000 Pakistani suspects were also facing court proceedings as a result of a government crackdown on militant groups, he said, adding that Pakistan deserved much more international credit for its help in the war on terror.

But Tuesday night's raid on a house in the village of Azam Warsak close to the Afghan border proved how difficult a job the country was facing.

Two officers and eight soldiers died when the militants fought their way free with guns and grenades after a two-hour battle. Two militants were killed and one arrested.

"There were women and children close by and Pakistani security forces did not want them hurt, so they did not use the normal lethal forces they would have used," Qureshi said.

"The criminals and terrorists took advantage of that," he said, adding more than 100 troops were now combing the area.

Officials in the nearby town of Wana said the captured man claimed to be an Uzbek. Local experts said the group could have been members of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, a rebel movement that found shelter in Afghanistan under the Taliban and has links to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network.

Bin Laden is the prime suspect in the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. His whereabouts are not known. The US government has consistently praised Pakistan's military ruler Pervez Musharraf for his cooperation in the war against terrorism, saying Wednesday Pakistan had "time and time again shown itself to be a stalwart partner" in that war.

But there has been criticism of Musharraf in some quarters for being half-hearted or ineffective in implementing a crackdown on domestic extremists announced in January. Qureshi said that was unfair, adding that while some suspects had been released for lack of evidence, others had been charged.

"There are over 1,060 who are being proceeded against on related charges of extremism, trying to incite violence and terrorism," he said.

More than 300 "foreign elements" had been caught in the tribal areas, and a number of other suspects had been arrested after tip-offs from the Americans in the cities of Faisalabad and Lahore, including senior al Qaeda coordinator Abu Zubaydah.

"The number Pakistan has arrested of al Qaeda and extremist Taliban from tribal areas and other cities in Pakistan may exceed what the US has got from Afghanistan," Qureshi said. "Pakistan deserves much more credit than is given to it." Qureshi said Pakistan needed more help, although he said it had a firm understanding with Washington that only Pakistani troops would be used in carrying out raids.

"We talk about communication intercepts, we talk about intelligence information, that cooperation is going on, and that sort of assistance we do need," he said. "Frankly it is a very expensive thing to do ... and we need money."

"There was an indication there would be provision of helicopters and vehicles and electronic equipment to carry out these functions, and that is what we need," he said. "The world, if it wants to help Pakistan, needs to give Pakistan the funds, the equipment and the intelligence information."

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[Free the USA]

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