Qaeda weapons expert slain in Waziristan strike
* Egyptian militant had $5m bounty on his head
* Military spokesman says authorities still seeking confirmation of Umar’s death
* Security official says Pakistan not involved in attack
PESHAWAR: A top Al Qaeda chemical and biological weapons expert was reportedly killed in a suspected United States missile strike in the Tribal Areas on Monday, security officials said.
Egyptian militant Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar, also known as Abu Khabab al-Masri, had a $5 million bounty on his head and allegedly ran terrorist training camps in Afghanistan.
Officials had earlier said that three Arab militants and three Pakistani children were killed when missiles fired by a suspected US drone hit a house attached to a mosque in the South Waziristan tribal district bordering Afghanistan.
“We believe he was killed in this strike,” a senior intelligence official told AFP on condition of anonymity. “It was his hide-out and information that has been shared with us says he was targeted in this strike.”
Difficulty: The Pakistan Army said it was still seeking confirmation. “We are facing difficulties in getting to know what kind of incident it was,” military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told AFP. “We have not yet received any authentic information from the area from our teams.”
Umar is described by the website of the US Government Rewards for Justice programme, which offered the reward, as an “explosives expert and poisons trainer working on behalf of Al Qaeda”.
Residents in South Waziristan said they heard US aircraft and pilotless Predator drones flying above the area before and after the strike, adding that these had continued throughout the weekend.
A group of Arabs, believed to be Egyptians, had rented a compound containing the house and a madrassa from a local tribesman, Malik Salat, they added. An intelligence official told Reuters that the madrassa was actually a militant base. “The owner of the house and madrassa had some links with militants, and the madrassa was not used for education, but as a compound,” he added.
Not us: “This (the attack) has been done by coalition forces, we did not do it,” another Pakistani security official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Both the US-led coalition and a separate NATO force in Afghanistan said that they were not involved. However, the US Central Intelligence Agency is also known to operate drones in the region.
Meanwhile, NNI quoted local Taliban leader Maulvi Nazeer as saying that seven people had been killed in the attack and three injured. agencies
Pakistan military warns US commander on strikes
RAWALPINDI: Repeated United States missile strikes in Pakistan can harm relations between the two countries, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Tariq Majid told a visiting US commander on Monday. “Expressing concern over repeated cross-border missile attacks/firing by coalition and Afghan forces, General Tariq said that our sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected,” an ISPR statement quoted Tariq as telling Acting CENTCOM chief Lieutenant General Martin Dempsey. “Any violation in this regard could be detrimental to bilateral relations,” it added. Majid “also re-emphasised that Pakistan’s armed forces are capable of handling any challenges to our security”, it added. Majid said that it was important to give the political process a chance to reach a ‘real’ solution to terrorism. The statement said that Majid also conveyed reservations against Afghan allegations of Pakistani involvement in the recent bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul. Dempsey also called on COAS General Ashfaq Kayani. sajjad malik
Base camps on Pak-Afghan border cause Obama concern
By Khalid Hasan
WASHINGTON: Senator Barack Obama said on Monday that the new government in Pakistan is still getting its “sea legs” but it is important that the US emphasise to Islamabad how seriously it takes the “base camps from where the movement across the border into Afghanistan takes place”.
“And it’s not just in the interest of Afghan security – or US security – it’s also in the interest of Pakistan’s long term security that we shut those bases down,” he added.
Asked if the US should play a role in negotiations between Pakistan and India, he called it an example of “how we need to think comprehensively about the region”. He added, “If one of the central concerns of Pakistan is its security posture towards India, then we need to put that on the table for discussions as we try to solve the problems in Afghanistan. Kashmir continues to be a constant instigator of tension between India and Pakistan. And, historically, Pakistan has tolerated, or in some cases, funded the mujahideen ... because they think it’s somehow helpful to them in Kashmir. We have to have an honest conversation about how counter-productive that is.”
Obama has in the past emphasised upon a radical overhaul of the traditional US policy of supporting the army at the expense of democracy in the country. He has said, “The greatest threat to the security of America and Afghanistan lies in the tribal regions of Pakistan, where terrorists are trained and insurgents strike across the border. We will not tolerate a terrorist sanctuary.”
Haqqani hopes Congress responds to Pakistan’s views on security
LAHORE: Pakistan Ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani hopes that the US Congress will be receptive to Pakistan’s views on security in the Tribal Areas. Dawn News quoted Haqqani as telling a Washington-based newspaper that Pakistan was committed to addressing extremism through a multifaceted approach along the Pak-Afghan border. It said he urged American legislators to be patient with the new government for a year and see if it succeeds in translating its ideas into reliable actions. He said that Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani hoped that he could make Congress understand that all the issues facing Pakistan would be addressed in due course. Similarly, News One quoted him as telling reporters that Pak-US relations would be different in light of the democratic government in the country. He said the US should respect Pakistan’s sovereignty and extend economic co-operation to it. daily times monitor
Bush supports Pakistan’s sovereignty, democracy
* US president says terrorism, extremism dangerous for everyone
* Gilani pledges to fight extremists
* US offers $115m in food aid
By Khalid Hasan
WASHINGTON: Describing Pakistan’s democracy as ‘vibrant’, United States President George W Bush assured Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani’s government of his country’s willingness to support Pakistan’s sovereignty.
In a brief statement to the press after talks in the Oval Office, Bush said that the two of them had spent a lot of time in their discussions on Pakistan’s economy and how all benefits should accrue to the people. He also said that there were “areas of concern” that had come up in their talks, adding that terrorism and extremism were dangerous for everyone, including Pakistan.
The president said that they had also discussed the issue of border security, adding that Gilani had made a strong commitment to supporting Afghanistan’s democracy.
Pledge: Gilani thanked Bush and told the gathered media that he appreciated the president’s support. He assured Bush of Pakistan’s co-operation in the war on terrorism and said only a handful of people were involved in extremism.
The premier said that his government was determined to eliminate both terrorism and militancy from the body politic. After talking to the press, the two leaders went to a luncheon hosted in honour of Gilani. Briefing reporters about the White House meeting, Information Minister Sherry Rehman said that the US has affirmed its strong support for the new democratic order. She said the meeting had taken place in a positive atmosphere.
To questioning, she said Pakistan has informed the United States that unilateral strikes from Afghanistan to Pakistan are not helpful to forging a long-term strategic partnership, APP reported.
Food aid: Following the talks, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters that the US president had offered $115 million, over two years, in food aid to Pakistan. She said that $42.5 million of that would be available over the next six to nine months, Reuters reported.
Zardari says govt, army and agencies have good relations
LAHORE: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Zardari said that the government, army and the intelligences agencies enjoy good mutual relations, but some elements were spreading rumours in this regard, Business Plus reported on Monday.
According to the channel, Zardari said the notification regarding the placement of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) under the Interior Ministry’s control had been misunderstood.
He said that it had been made clear in the first notification that the role of the
Interior Ministry would be of an assistant in the affairs looked after by the ISI, adding that the second notification had clarified all ambiguities in this regard. The government had on Saturday announced to bring ISI and Intelligence Bureau under the Interior Ministry’s control, a decision that had been welcomed politicians as well as citizens. However, a notification cancelling the move had been issued by the Press Information Department early on Sunday. daily times monitor
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