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Al-Qaeda hand seen behind attempts on Musharraf`s life
Islamabad, Dec 26: Al-Qaeda militants and religious fanatics are feared to be behind an increasingly organized effort to kill Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, analysts said, following the second assassination attempt in 11 days.
Islamabad, Dec 26: Al-Qaeda militants and religious fanatics are feared to be behind an increasingly organized effort to kill Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, analysts said, following the second assassination attempt in 11 days.
Musharraf escaped death yesterday when suicide bombers rammed his motorcade with two bomb-laden cars at a petrol station two kilometres from his residence in Rawalpindi,
adjoining Islamabad, killing 14 people and injuring 46 others.
Ruling party Senator Mushahid Hussain called the attacks a "matter of deep concern," especially since the latest bid was made near Musharraf's residence, in the heart of an area controlled by the military which he leads.
"It shows an organized group is chasing him," he said, while an interior ministry official called the attacks a "new trend," saying that suicide bombings were not common in Pakistan.
The attacks mirrored a similar incident on December 14 when a powerful explosion missed the President's motorcade by seconds on a bridge, also in Rawalpindi.
"The broad guess is that it could be a nexus between al-Qaeda and extremist militant groups here," analyst Talat Masood said yesterday.
"They seem to be determined -- look at their audacity, boldness and precision (in carrying out) the attacks."
Masood, a former Army Lieutenant General, said militants want to make Pakistan a fortress for jihad (holy war).
"These groups might see the present policies of Musharraf as detrimental to their interests. They want to eliminate him, thinking that the next guy will be too scared to check their activities."
Musharraf himself said late yesterday the attacks could be in response to pakistan's role in the US-led war against terrorism, and blamed unnamed "terrorists and extremists" for the bombings.
"There is a strong possibility of this. We are fighting a war against terrorism, but we will not lose courage," he said on state television hours after the bombings.
Soon after the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States, blamed on Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda, Musharraf abandoned Afghanistan's Taliban and offered military bases to the US-led campaign that toppled the neighboring country's hardline regime in late 2001.
Since then Pakistani security forces have captured more than 500 suspected al-Qaeda members, including three close bin Laden allies, and handed a majority of them over to US authorities.
Calling for "enlightened moderation" Musharraf has also launched a campaign against religious militancy and banned 13 extremist and sectarian groups. Bureau Report
Ruling party Senator Mushahid Hussain called the attacks a "matter of deep concern," especially since the latest bid was made near Musharraf's residence, in the heart of an area controlled by the military which he leads.
"It shows an organized group is chasing him," he said, while an interior ministry official called the attacks a "new trend," saying that suicide bombings were not common in Pakistan.
The attacks mirrored a similar incident on December 14 when a powerful explosion missed the President's motorcade by seconds on a bridge, also in Rawalpindi.
"The broad guess is that it could be a nexus between al-Qaeda and extremist militant groups here," analyst Talat Masood said yesterday.
"They seem to be determined -- look at their audacity, boldness and precision (in carrying out) the attacks."
Masood, a former Army Lieutenant General, said militants want to make Pakistan a fortress for jihad (holy war).
"These groups might see the present policies of Musharraf as detrimental to their interests. They want to eliminate him, thinking that the next guy will be too scared to check their activities."
Musharraf himself said late yesterday the attacks could be in response to pakistan's role in the US-led war against terrorism, and blamed unnamed "terrorists and extremists" for the bombings.
"There is a strong possibility of this. We are fighting a war against terrorism, but we will not lose courage," he said on state television hours after the bombings.
Soon after the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States, blamed on Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda, Musharraf abandoned Afghanistan's Taliban and offered military bases to the US-led campaign that toppled the neighboring country's hardline regime in late 2001.
Since then Pakistani security forces have captured more than 500 suspected al-Qaeda members, including three close bin Laden allies, and handed a majority of them over to US authorities.
Calling for "enlightened moderation" Musharraf has also launched a campaign against religious militancy and banned 13 extremist and sectarian groups. Bureau Report