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KARACHI - The recent arrest of two top Pakistani jihadis, Maulana Fazalur Rehman Khalil and Qari Saifullah Akhtar, marks the beginning of the end of an era that started in the mid-1980s when the dream of an International Muslim Brigade was first conceived by a group of top Pakistan leaders. The dream subsequently materialized in the shape of the International Islamic Front, an umbrella organization for militant groups formed by Osama bin Laden in 1998 and loosely coordinated by the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LET) of Pakistan. The arrests in Pakistan, made under relentless pressure from the United States, are aimed at tracing...

A LEADING al-Qaeda operative who once ran a training camp in Afghanistan has been arrested in the United Arab Emirates and handed over to Pakistani officials. Qari Saifullah Akhtar is now in custody, marking the latest in a string of breakthroughs against the al-Qaeda network, according to Pakistan’s information minister, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed. Akhtar allegedly ran an al-Qaeda training camp in Rishkhor, Afghanistan, where terrorists learned kidnapping and assassination techniques, as well as traditional combat skills used by Taleban fighters in their war to win control of the country before they were ousted in 2001. "We can confirm that we...

Senior al-Qaida Operative Captured in UAE 2 hours, 25 minutes ago By PAUL HAVEN, Associated Press Writer ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - In a new blow to al-Qaida, authorities in the United Arab Emirates captured a senior operative in Osama bin Laden's terror network, who trained thousands of militants for combat, and turned him over to Pakistan, the information minister said Sunday. The man, Qari Saifullah Akhtar, was secretly flown to the eastern city of Lahore, where he was being interrogated, a Pakistani intelligence official said on condition of anonymity. Pakistan, a key ally of the United States in its war on...

(CNN) -- A Pakistani al Qaeda operative believed to have been close to al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden and Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar was flown to Pakistan after he was arrested in Dubai, Pakistani intelligence sources said.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- A senior Pakistani al-Qaida operative who used to run one of the terror group's training camps in Afghanistan has been arrested in the United Arab Emirates and handed over to Pakistani officials, the information minister said Sunday. Qari Saifullah Akhtar is in Pakistani custody, the latest in a string of major breakthroughs against the al-Qaida network, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told The Associated Press. Akhtar ran an al-Qaida training camp in Rishkhor, Afghanistan, where terrorists learned kidnapping and assassination techniques, as well as traditional combat skills used by Taliban fighters in their war to win...

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A senior al Qaeda operative who knew Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) and was linked to assassination attempts on Pakistan's president has been arrested in Dubai and handed over to Islamabad, Pakistani intelligence sources said Saturday. Qari Saifullah Akhtar, a leader of the radical Islamic group Harkat-ul-Jihad-e-Islami, was arrested by authorities in Dubai Friday after Pakistan had requested his detention, and handed over to Islamabad Saturday. The capture was the latest breakthrough in a broadening offensive against terrorist groups in Pakistan that has netted over 20 suspects in recent weeks including computer engineer Mohammad Naeem...

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A senior al Qaeda operative who knew Osama bin Laden and was linked to assassination attempts on Pakistan's president has been arrested in Dubai and handed over to Islamabad, Pakistani intelligence sources said Saturday. Qari Saifullah Akhtar, a leader of the radical Islamic group Harkat-ul-Jihad-e-Islami, was arrested by authorities in Dubai Friday after Pakistan had requested his detention, and handed over to Islamabad Saturday. The capture was the latest breakthrough in a broadening offensive against terrorist groups in Pakistan that has netted over 20 suspects in recent weeks including computer engineer Mohammad Naeem Noor Khan and top...