LeT may target Commonwealth Games: Army

The Indian Army has voiced fears to Washington that Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Tayiba may attempt to strike at the upcoming Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, according to a media report.

The fears were conveyed to top US military commander Admiral Mike Mullen during his meetings in New Delhi, The Sunday Times reported.

It also claimed that LeT, the terror group behind the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai, has joined forces with the Taliban in a new alliance to kill western soldiers in Afghanistan.

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's commanders believe that the LeT is behind a string of attacks and influx of fighters into eastern Afghanistan, the newspaper said.

The issue was raised on Saturday by Admiral Mullen after he arrived in Islamabad for meetings with Pakistan's powerful army chief General Ashfaq Kayani, the report said. Lashkar-e-Tayiba, which means 'the army of the righteous', was originally created by Pakistani security agencies to send militants to Jammu and Kashmir, it said.

Outlawed under US pressure in 2002, the group has continued to operate under different names. The LeT's camps have long been used by Al Qaeda for training. After initial denials, Pakistan has admitted that the LeT played a part in the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai in which 173 people were killed.

While the Pakistani military has taken action against terrorist groups such as the Pakistani Taliban, it has refused repeated requests from Washington to move against the Afghan Taliban or LeT, the report said.

The LeT enjoys widespread support in Pakistan through its charitable arm Jamaat-ud-Dawa, which was highly visible after the Pakistan earthquake in 2005 and is now helping rebuild the Swat valley after a Pakistani offensive against the Taliban.

Well funded by backers in the Gulf, the banned militant group has about 2,000 offices across Pakistan, the report added.