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Did ISI aid Ilyas Kashmiri's killing?

June 06, 2011 16:13 IST

Pakistan apparently aided the killing of the dreaded Al Qaeda-linked terrorist Ilyas Kashmiri, who had come to figure as the most wanted militant for the security establishment.

"I think certainly, the Inter-Services Intelligence has played a role in the particular US drone attack that killed Kashmiri and nine others in South Waziristan" a former senior Pakistani army officer told al Jazeera news network.

Hinting that Pakistani establishment had fingered Kashmiri, former Brigadier Shaukat Qadir told the channel "The US had its wish list of people they wanted. I don't know what their priority was. From Pakistan's perspective, Ilyas Kashmiri would have been on the top of the wish list."

Kashmiri was one of the top militant who figured on list which the US gave to Pakistan of senior Al Qaeda members, it wanted killed or captured, just a week ago.

Others on the list are Al Qaeda No 2 Ayman al-Zawahri, Al Qaeda operations chief Atiya Abdel Rahman, as well as Taliban leader Mullah Omar, all of whom US intelligence officials believe are hiding in Pakistan. Sirajuddin Haqqani also figures on the list.

Kashmiri, once considered to be a poster boy of Pakistan army and intelligence fell foul of the powerful intelligence establishment after carrying out attempts on the life of former president Pervez Musharraf and plotting the recent Mehran air base attack.

Pak on high alert

Pakistani law enforcement agencies have been put on alert in the federal capital and northern parts of the country to prevent possible suicide attacks to avenge Kashmiri's death.

The National Crisis Management Cell of the interior ministry sounded a general alert to law enforcement agencies in Islamabad and Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces after receiving an intelligence report on possible attacks.

The NCMC asked law enforcement agencies to tighten security at military installations and sensitive establishments, the Dawn newspaper quoted its sources as saying.

The terrorists have plans to launch motorcycle-riding suicide bombers against targets, the report said.

The law enforcement agencies were informed that five to nine Taliban operatives had been sent to Islamabad and Rawalpindi to strike targets.

A Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan operative named Ihsan alias Chhota Ustad has reportedly prepared sketches of the Artillery Centre and Pakistan Ordnance Factory at Sanjwal, as well as routes used by factory workers, for an attack by a sleeper Taliban cell at Tarnol near Islamabad, the daily reported.