NEWS

Ultras reveal Pak army's role in terror strikes

By Vicky Nanjappa in Bengaluru
December 24, 2008 13:09 IST

The Mumbai Anti Terrorist Squad has picked up more clues of the Pakistani army being linked to terror training and also the Mumbai terror strikes of 26/11.

Terrorists Ajmal Kasab and Sabahuddin have both revealed to their interrogators that the Pakistan Army played a major role in training terrorists to carry out strikes in India.

According to Sabahuddin -- the prime accused in the attack on the Central Reserve Police Force camp in Rampur and the attack on the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore -- the Pakistani army ensured that the new recruits had a safe passage into Lashkar-e-Tayiba's camps.

Sabahuddin, while explaining his journey into jihad, told interrogators that he decided to tread this horrific path in the year 2002.

'I was upset with the Godhra incident and hence thought that I too needed to fight. At that time I was studying at the Aligarh Muslim University and met a person by the name Ajmal, who was in the same college. I told him about my desire to fight for the cause of the community and he in turn introduced to a person by the name Salim, who was known as Doctor. This man used to send young men to Pakistan so that they could be trained and fight in Kashmir. I was given a letter and was asked to hand it over to a person that I would be meeting at Kashmir.

'In Kashmir I met Adnan and Umar Qatada who told me that they were the area commanders of the LeT. I was then taken to the camp where I along with three others were handed over AK-47 rifles, hand grenades and jackets. We were then asked to get into an LeT training camp in Pakistan and were also told that the army would not be a problem over there.

'Once we entered Pakistan, we were stopped by members of the Pakistani army. We were asked about our background and details. We said we were fighting in Kashmir on behalf of the LeT. Our names were taken down and later registered by the Pakistani Army which then called for a person who was supposed to take us to the LeT camp. A few hours later, he guided us to the Forward Kahota camp of the LeT. Once at the camp, we were received by the commander of the camp, Abu Abdullah Ghazi, and later training was imparted to us.'

Further evidence of the Pakistani army link is based on Intelligence Bureau intercepts and also the statements of Ajmal Kasab. He had mentioned during his interrogation that the Pakistani Navy had imparted naval training to the LeT operatives.

Vicky Nanjappa in Bengaluru

Recommended by Rediff.com

NEXT ARTICLE

NewsBusinessMoviesSportsCricketGet AheadDiscussionLabsMyPageVideosCompany Email