Frontline Pakistan : The Struggle With Militant Islam - Arz-e-Pak
Frontline Pakistan : The Struggle With Militant Islam - Arz-e-Pak
Frontline Pakistan : The Struggle With Militant Islam - Arz-e-Pak
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<strong>Frontline</strong> <strong><strong>Pak</strong>istan</strong><br />
of a Hilux van died on the spot, while Jackie Van Landingham, 33, a<br />
consulate secretary, succumbed to her injuries on the way to hospital.<br />
A third employee, Mark McCloy, escaped with a shot to his ankle. 24<br />
<strong>The</strong> killing of the American officials came amidst a surge in sectarian<br />
and factional violence that had led to hundreds of deaths in Karachi,<br />
making it one of the most dangerous cities in the world. But it was the<br />
first time foreigners were targeted. Investigations indicated that the<br />
daring attack on the diplomatic vehicle was LeJ seeking revenge for<br />
the extradition to the USA of Ramzi Yousuf. <strong>The</strong> pattern of the attacks<br />
indicated that the same gang of terrorists involved in the attacks on<br />
Shia mosques weeks before could also be involved in the killing of<br />
American officials. 25<br />
<strong><strong>Pak</strong>istan</strong>i authorities vigorously targeted LeJ following a series of<br />
attacks that jolted <strong><strong>Pak</strong>istan</strong> in the aftermath of the US invasion of<br />
Afghanistan. During 2002, the security forces met with major success<br />
when they killed or captured a significant number of LeJ activists.<br />
Those who were killed also included two top LeJ leaders, Basra and<br />
Asif Ramzi. Basra and his three associates were killed in May that year<br />
in a shoot-out with police near Mailsi in Multan. 26 Ramzi, believed to<br />
be the second-in-command to Basra, was killed in December in an<br />
explosion at a chemical warehouse on the outskirts of Karachi. 27 One<br />
of the most wanted terrorists, he was involved in more than 80 cases<br />
of murder and was wanted for the attacks on the US Consulate and<br />
Sheraton Hotel. Ramzi was the key link between the local militants<br />
and al-Qaeda trying to regroup in <strong><strong>Pak</strong>istan</strong>. <strong><strong>Pak</strong>istan</strong>i and US security<br />
officials suspected that Ramzi had manufactured the explosives used<br />
in the US Consulate attack.<br />
On 17 June 2002, the security forces captured another notorious<br />
LeJ leader, Akram Lahori, wanted in more than two dozen murder<br />
cases. A deputy to Basra, he was a key planner of various sectarianbased<br />
terrorist attacks in Karachi and was believed to have trained<br />
many potential suicide bombers. Despite those setbacks, however,<br />
the group appeared to retain a substantial capacity to strike, and<br />
continued to provide logistical support and personnel to al-Qaeda<br />
and Taliban operating from their bases in <strong><strong>Pak</strong>istan</strong>’s tribal region. <strong>The</strong><br />
death of senior LeJ leaders did not bring any respite to the violence.<br />
A new breed of well-trained and battle-hardened militants took over<br />
the charge.<br />
<strong>The</strong> increasing use of suicide bombing in terror attacks gave a<br />
new and more dangerous dimension to the sectarian war. Both Shias