Post-Mumbai attacks, US wakes up to Lashkar threat
LeT hit a new threshold of terror by targeting Indians,Americans & Jews.
By ET Bureau |
NEW DELHI: There is acknowledgement in the US intelligence establishment that Lashkar-e-Toiba has hit a ���new threshold��� of terror by targeting not just Indians but also Americans, Jews and Britons. The organisation, which has so far been considered an al-Qaeda franchise is seen to have earned a ���brand name��� in the fundamentalist imperialist project.
US counter-terrorism officials have already admitted that they did not anticipate the potential of the Laskhar to carry out such a ���sophisticated attack���. In the past, the US had chosen to look the other way when Indian side gave clear evidences to suggest that the terror shop was part of a larger ideology.
���There is real concern over the fact that LeT has raised its profile. A lot of people are watching closely now to see if they���re plotting new attacks,��� a report from Washington quoting an unnamed counter-terror official said.
The CIA offensive in Pakistan has so far not been targeting Lashkar camps. The agency has been using unmanned drones to fire missiles at Taliban and al-Qaeda operatives directing the insurgency in Afghanistan. ���Assume that the intelligence community has new targets it previously hoped would be only distractions, of which LeT is one,��� the official said.
Navy admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the military���s joint chiefs of staff, has of late been saying that Lashkar, which once focused on the India-Pakistan fight over Jammu and Kashmir is now engaged in a war against Americans and Israelis. ���They specifically targeted a Jewish centre that was off the main drag. It raises this outfit to a much higher level than where it was before,��� Mr Mullen had recently told reporters.
Many important functionaries in the counter-terrorism establishment are of the view that Pakistan must be pressured to shutter the Jamaat-ud-Dawa operation, crackdown on the Wahhabi Ahle Hadith madrassas as well as other Islamist ideological training centres that function as jihadi feeder schools for a multitude of terrorist organisations.
US counter-terrorism officials have already admitted that they did not anticipate the potential of the Laskhar to carry out such a ���sophisticated attack���. In the past, the US had chosen to look the other way when Indian side gave clear evidences to suggest that the terror shop was part of a larger ideology.
���There is real concern over the fact that LeT has raised its profile. A lot of people are watching closely now to see if they���re plotting new attacks,��� a report from Washington quoting an unnamed counter-terror official said.
The CIA offensive in Pakistan has so far not been targeting Lashkar camps. The agency has been using unmanned drones to fire missiles at Taliban and al-Qaeda operatives directing the insurgency in Afghanistan. ���Assume that the intelligence community has new targets it previously hoped would be only distractions, of which LeT is one,��� the official said.
Navy admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the military���s joint chiefs of staff, has of late been saying that Lashkar, which once focused on the India-Pakistan fight over Jammu and Kashmir is now engaged in a war against Americans and Israelis. ���They specifically targeted a Jewish centre that was off the main drag. It raises this outfit to a much higher level than where it was before,��� Mr Mullen had recently told reporters.
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Many important functionaries in the counter-terrorism establishment are of the view that Pakistan must be pressured to shutter the Jamaat-ud-Dawa operation, crackdown on the Wahhabi Ahle Hadith madrassas as well as other Islamist ideological training centres that function as jihadi feeder schools for a multitude of terrorist organisations.
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