GHQ attack a ‘wake up call’ from Pak’s Punjab terror network
October 13th, 2009 - 6:16 pm ICT by ANI
Karachi, Oct. 13 (ANI): The revelation that five of the ten assailants of the GHQ attack were Punjabi jihadists has exposed the deadly nexus between the Pak-Taliban and Punjabi extremists.
Now the danger for Pakistan also comes from extremists from its heartland Punjab province, who have forged a network with the Taliban in north-west fringe, The Telegraph reports.
It means Pakistan is threatened by a network of extremism that has cells throughout the country.
According to the Pakistan Army, the ringleader of the attack, Aqeel alias Dr Usman, was from a Punjabi extremist outfit, but the training for the operation was carried out in Waziristan.
The commando training, experts fear, may enable these militants to mount both suicide attacks and sophisticated “fidayeen” assaults. The report quoted Shaun Gregory, an expert on Pakistan’s nuclear programme , as saying that “fidayeen” tactics could even be used against Pakistan’s nuclear sites.
“The only thing that stands between al-Qaeda and nuclear weapons is the Pakistan army. It is an incredible shock that terrorists can strike at the heart of GHQ. Terrorists could mount this sort of assault against Pakistan’s nuclear installations,” he added.
While Pakistan plans to the Taliban stronghold in Waziristan, the menace from Punjab, a developed and highly populated area, is much harder to tackle.
Many see the strike on the army headquarters as a “wake up” call about the threat from Punjab. (ANI)
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Tags: alias, army headquarters, assailants, commando training, extremism, extremist, extremists, jihadists, militants, nuclear installations, nuclear weapons, pakistan army, punjab, ringleader, stronghold, suicide attacks, terror network, usman, wake up call, west fringe
