NOVANEWS
By Akhtar Jamal
Islamabad—Information pieced together by anti-terrorism experts has confirmed that the May 22 attack at PNS Mehran Base in Karachi was the work of professionals and fully trained terrorists backed and supported by foreign authorities and intelligence networks.
Officials engaged in collection of information from the scene of the incident have learned that at least three of the attackers appeared to be from Uzbekistan, had full knowledge the area and were technically trained in urban warfare.
Some officials also find the footprints of Al-Qaeda leader Saif el Adil’s role behind the May 22 attack but others do not rule out the possibility of a behind the scenes role of some major intelligence network.
Eyewitnesses in the area confirmed that two or possibly three of the attackers had conversations with one Urdu-speaking person believed to be the main leader of the gang. The exact number also remained a mystery but people at the scene claim that they saw at least six persons armed with Klashnikovs and rocket launchers at the time of attack. It was not clear if some of them managed to escape from the scene but officials preferred to remain silent on any possible arrests made at the scene. Some suspects arrested belonged to Balochistan, leading to speculation that Baloch insurgent groups backed by foreign intelligence networks had a role in the attack.
The reports about use of Central Asian youths against Pakistan was no secret to regional authorities and even the Pakistan Observer had reported on February 25 that Central Asian youths were being trained by foreign intelligence networks for conducting high profile attacks inside Pakistan.
What surprised the officials was the fact that terrorists had prior knowledge of the exact location of P3C orion aircraft and that they had been sent only to target the highly sophisticated aircraft that can blind Pakistan Navy from “mysterious activities” in the Arabian Sea off Pakistan. It now appears that terrorists were assigned two notorious tasks: destroy P3C Orions and take as hostages foreign nationals, particularly from a strategic friend of Pakistan.
The terrorists achieved their first target and then moved to their second target to take Pakistan’s foreign friends as hostages. Pakistan’s brave officials and sailors acted so swiftly and they shifted the foreign friends from the scene, engaged the terrorists and sacrificed their lives without any hesitation.
Eyewitnesses have confirmed that the terrorists had maps of the rooms of the main building, perhaps aware of the presence of “foreigners” and wanted to take as many hostages as possible but failed to achieve their second objective.
The modus operandi of the terrorists was exactly like a secret operation conducted by commandos or Special Forces of a superior country behind the enemy line. There is little or no re-thinking that the action was designed, finaced and supported by one or possibily two enemies of Pakistan with a greater objective.
Officials are surprised to learn that several terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda, Islamic Jihand Union (IJU), Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), Turkestan Islamic Movement (TIP) and other groups are hitting only Pakistan and its strategic friends.
Pakistan’s top commanders agree that “Pakistan is at war” with local as well as foreign elements backed and supported from abroad.
