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Lashkar as big a threat as al-Qaida,
admits US May 28, 2011, 12.44am IST TNN [ Himanshi Dhawan ] NEW DELHI: The US has
acknowledged that ISI-
backed terrorist outfit
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) is as
big a threat as al-Qaida. US secretary for homeland
security Janet Napolitano
said, "I think in my
judgment, the LeT ranks
right up there in the al-
Qaida and related groups as terrorist organisations, one
that seeks to harm people
and takes innocent lives."
The statement of the US
official, who is here for a bilateral security dialogue, comes in the
wake of strong evidence that Lashkar had
outgrown its initial focus on J&K to
emerge as a global terror threat,
matching al-Qaida in aspiration,
resources and reach. "Our perspective, the US perspective, is
LeT is very very, I do not want to say
important as that gives it too much
credibility, but an organisation that is of
the same ranking as the al-Qaida related
groups," Napolitano said after the first homeland security dialogue with home
minister P Chidambaram on Friday. Napolitano was talking against the
backdrop of the Chicago trial of Pakistan-
born Lashkar jihadis David Headley alias
Dawood Gilani and Tahawwur Hussain
Rana in connection with the ISI-scripted
26/11 terror attack on Mumbai. Headley has disclosed to the US's Federal
Bureau of Investigation that Lashkar,
which set out by seeking to wage jihad to
wrest "Muslim lands" of J&K, Hyderabad
and Junagarh, has now set its sight
farther afield, plotting to assassinate the editor of a Danish newspaper which had
published offending cartoons of Prophet
Mohammad. During the Mumbai attacks as well, the
Lashkar terrorists targeted westerners,
killing six Americans among others. Pre-26/11, Pakistan had consistently held
that Lashkar, being devoted to the
"liberation" of Kashmir, posed no threat
to the US. The alibi had started wearing
thin after Lashkar terrorists were found
to be involved in terror plots in the US and Australia before 26/11 and the mounting
evidence of its collaboration with al-
Qaida in Afghanistan alerted the
Americans to the grave threat. Napolitano said the US had worked with
India on investigations into the Mumbai
attacks and would grant Indian
investigators further access to Headley. "The United States has given India full
access to the witness and once the case is
over, more access will be given. It is an
example of how our two countries
cooperate," she said. She, however, did
not respond to questions on if the US should influence Pakistan in extradition
of one of the most wanted men -- Hafiz
Saeed. Earlier in the day, Chidambaram had
described Pakistan as the most "difficult
neighbourhood" in the world. In his
opening remarks to the homeland
security dialogue, he said, "The global
epicentre of terrorism is in our immediate western neighbourhood. The
vast infrastructure of terrorism in
Pakistan has for long flourished as an
instrument of state policy." The minister added, "Today, different
terrorist groups, operating from the safe
havens in Pakistan, are becoming
increasingly fused. The society in Pakistan
has become increasingly radicalised. Its
economy has weakened and the state structure in Pakistan has become fragile."
Terming terrorism as the "principal
challenge" for both the countries,
Chidambaram pushed for the need to
address challenges, including counterfeit
currency, narcotics trafficking, threats and risks in cyber space. In a joint
statement, the two countries expressed
the need for cooperation in tackling
money laundering and fake currency
menace, cyber security, illicit financing,
transnational crimes besides cooperation in issues related to cross-border
terrorism. The two leaders agreed to strengthen
intelligence exchange, information
sharing, forensics and investigation,
access and sharing of data relating to
terrorism and security of infrastructure.
The two sides are expected to meet after six months to review progress. On the issue of Krittika Biswas having
sued New York City, Napolitano said she
sympathized with her but did not want to
comment on the matter as it was in court. Napolitano also met finance minister
Pranab Mukherjee on cooperation and
assistance in money laundering,
counterfeiting of currency, cross-border
terrorism, cyber security and secured
cargo. In the meeting, Mukherjee stressed on
the need for cooperation in investigations
relating to money laundering, drug-
money flow, stashing of black money
abroad and transfer-pricing mechanism.
admits US May 28, 2011, 12.44am IST TNN [ Himanshi Dhawan ] NEW DELHI: The US has
acknowledged that ISI-
backed terrorist outfit
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) is as
big a threat as al-Qaida. US secretary for homeland
security Janet Napolitano
said, "I think in my
judgment, the LeT ranks
right up there in the al-
Qaida and related groups as terrorist organisations, one
that seeks to harm people
and takes innocent lives."
The statement of the US
official, who is here for a bilateral security dialogue, comes in the
wake of strong evidence that Lashkar had
outgrown its initial focus on J&K to
emerge as a global terror threat,
matching al-Qaida in aspiration,
resources and reach. "Our perspective, the US perspective, is
LeT is very very, I do not want to say
important as that gives it too much
credibility, but an organisation that is of
the same ranking as the al-Qaida related
groups," Napolitano said after the first homeland security dialogue with home
minister P Chidambaram on Friday. Napolitano was talking against the
backdrop of the Chicago trial of Pakistan-
born Lashkar jihadis David Headley alias
Dawood Gilani and Tahawwur Hussain
Rana in connection with the ISI-scripted
26/11 terror attack on Mumbai. Headley has disclosed to the US's Federal
Bureau of Investigation that Lashkar,
which set out by seeking to wage jihad to
wrest "Muslim lands" of J&K, Hyderabad
and Junagarh, has now set its sight
farther afield, plotting to assassinate the editor of a Danish newspaper which had
published offending cartoons of Prophet
Mohammad. During the Mumbai attacks as well, the
Lashkar terrorists targeted westerners,
killing six Americans among others. Pre-26/11, Pakistan had consistently held
that Lashkar, being devoted to the
"liberation" of Kashmir, posed no threat
to the US. The alibi had started wearing
thin after Lashkar terrorists were found
to be involved in terror plots in the US and Australia before 26/11 and the mounting
evidence of its collaboration with al-
Qaida in Afghanistan alerted the
Americans to the grave threat. Napolitano said the US had worked with
India on investigations into the Mumbai
attacks and would grant Indian
investigators further access to Headley. "The United States has given India full
access to the witness and once the case is
over, more access will be given. It is an
example of how our two countries
cooperate," she said. She, however, did
not respond to questions on if the US should influence Pakistan in extradition
of one of the most wanted men -- Hafiz
Saeed. Earlier in the day, Chidambaram had
described Pakistan as the most "difficult
neighbourhood" in the world. In his
opening remarks to the homeland
security dialogue, he said, "The global
epicentre of terrorism is in our immediate western neighbourhood. The
vast infrastructure of terrorism in
Pakistan has for long flourished as an
instrument of state policy." The minister added, "Today, different
terrorist groups, operating from the safe
havens in Pakistan, are becoming
increasingly fused. The society in Pakistan
has become increasingly radicalised. Its
economy has weakened and the state structure in Pakistan has become fragile."
Terming terrorism as the "principal
challenge" for both the countries,
Chidambaram pushed for the need to
address challenges, including counterfeit
currency, narcotics trafficking, threats and risks in cyber space. In a joint
statement, the two countries expressed
the need for cooperation in tackling
money laundering and fake currency
menace, cyber security, illicit financing,
transnational crimes besides cooperation in issues related to cross-border
terrorism. The two leaders agreed to strengthen
intelligence exchange, information
sharing, forensics and investigation,
access and sharing of data relating to
terrorism and security of infrastructure.
The two sides are expected to meet after six months to review progress. On the issue of Krittika Biswas having
sued New York City, Napolitano said she
sympathized with her but did not want to
comment on the matter as it was in court. Napolitano also met finance minister
Pranab Mukherjee on cooperation and
assistance in money laundering,
counterfeiting of currency, cross-border
terrorism, cyber security and secured
cargo. In the meeting, Mukherjee stressed on
the need for cooperation in investigations
relating to money laundering, drug-
money flow, stashing of black money
abroad and transfer-pricing mechanism.
P
