Frontline Pakistan : The Struggle With Militant Islam - Arz-e-Pak

1 Frontline Pakistan
and a porous coastline, from which fugitives could slip away to the
Persian Gulf countries, made the city an ideal place to hide. Hundreds
of madrasas in slum areas run by radical mullahs also provided a safe
haven for the Islamic radicals. Some of the al-Qaeda fugitives moved
to more affluent districts in big apartment complexes, or even bought
high-walled privacy.
Al-Qaeda decentralized its activities, as American and Pakistani
intelligence agencies attacked its nerve centres. Many scattered again,
travelling back and forth. The masterminds of the 11 September terrorist
attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed – known in intelligence circles as
KSM – and Ramzi bin al-Shibh, made their base in the city with the
help of a vast network of home-grown jihadists. Raids on militants’
hideouts and homes had uncovered huge stashes of sophisticated
weapons and electronic equipment that indicated their strong local
links. In some cases, they also appeared to have received help from
their sympathizers in the intelligence agencies and the police.
During 2002 and 2003, Karachi had virtually turned into a terror
capital. Islamic militants carried out more than half a dozen terrorist
attacks in the city, targeting western nationals and US assets. All of
them carried al-Qaeda imprints. In March, a suicide bomb attack
outside the Sheraton Hotel had killed 11 French engineers working
on a submarine project. 28 They were mistaken for Americans. A few
weeks later, the same al-Qaeda-linked Harkat-ul-Mujahideen-al-Alami
struck again, targeting the American Consulate building on a busy
Karachi street, killing several Pakistanis, including some policemen.
The group also plotted to assassinate President Musharraf while he
was on a visit to Karachi in May 2001. Karachi reflected the trial and
tribulation of a nation, which had increasingly become hostage to the
forces of terror. The city was, however, more accessible to the lawenforcement
agencies.
One newly constructed, half-empty, five-storey apartment building,
in a commercial neighbourhood of Karachi’s Defense Housing Society,
had been under surveillance as a possible al-Qaeda safe house for
weeks after a lead from the CIA. Interception of a satellite phone
conversation between al-Qaeda leaders reinforced suspicions about
some important operative residing in one of the apartments. But
Pakistani security officials had no idea who it could be.
It was just after dawn, on 11 September 2002, when Pakistani
intelligence operatives, aided by a team of police commandos,
quietly entered the building. As they moved up the stairs to the