Washington: The Pakistani port city of
Karachi is increasingly becoming a safe haven for Taliban and
other extremist elements in the country, an article in a US
magazine said.
"It is clear that fighters from multiple Taliban factions
are increasingly moving to the city," said the article in the
latest issue of CTC Sentinel of the Combating Terrorism Centre
of the US Military Academy.
"Militants continue to flee US drone strikes and
Pakistani military operations in the country`s northwest
tribal regions. In fact, two months ago news reports
speculated that Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omar himself
shifted his base from Quetta to Karachi," wrote Imtiaz Ali,
author of the article.
Between late October and early November last year,
Karachi police arrested over 450 illegal foreign residents,
mostly Afghan and Uzbek citizens suspected of having links
with militants.
Moreover, 70 militants with access to suicide jackets,
rocket launchers and other explosives were arrested in the
closing months of 2009, it said.
"Taliban fighters and other militant groups have long
considered Karachi a safe location because it is unlikely the
city would ever face a major military operation or drone
attacks. Such a development could cause huge political and
economic fallout and the ultimate destabilisation of
Pakistan," Ali wrote.
PTI
