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Al Qaeda leads suspect list in Bhutto killing
Thu Dec 27, 2007 6:51pm EST
By Randall Mikkelsen
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Al Qaeda is the chief suspect
in the murder of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir
Bhutto, standing to gain by preserving its remote
stronghold, undermining President Pervez Musharraf and
destabilizing the country, U.S. government and private
analysts said.
The militant group, which has rebuilt its command
structure on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, was
blamed for a previous attempt on Bhutto and it has
denounced her as an instrument of U.S. policy in
Pakistan.
Bush administration officials said it was too early to
identify a clear suspect in Thursday's assassination.
But one U.S. official said: "There are a number of
extremist groups within Pakistan that could have
carried out the attack ... Al Qaeda has got to be one
of the groups at the top of this list."
Al Qaeda's Taliban ally, which has publicly threatened
Bhutto, was another potential suspect, said the
official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
One analyst said al Qaeda supporters in Pakistan's
security services may have also played a role, but it
was unlikely Musharraf himself was involved.
Killing Bhutto undermines Musharraf, viewed by the
United States as an essential ally against terrorism,
by eliminating the prospect of a power-sharing
agreement between the two that could shore up his
deteriorating political standing and stabilize the
country, the analysts said.
That in turn reduces chances that Musharraf can revive
efforts to drive al Qaeda and the Taliban out of the
remote Waziristan tribal areas. It also fans popular
suspicions against Musharraf and sows general
confusion.
"Their (al Qaeda's) motivation for doing this is
entirely clear," said David Gartenstein-Ross of the
Foundation for Defense of Democracies. "They have the
most to gain."
Bhutto was assassinated by a suicide bomber after an
election rally in the city of Rawalpindi, a two weeks
before national elections meant to return Pakistan to
a civilian-led democracy.
Her death follows a failed assassination attempt in
October as she returned from exile to Pakistan. She
blamed that attempt on four groups including al Qaeda
and the Taliban.
AL QAEDA DENOUNCES
Al Qaeda's second in command, Ayman al-Zawahri, this
month denounced Bhutto's return as a U.S.-orchestrated
maneuver.
"Everything that is going on in Pakistan, from the
arrangement for the return of Benazir to the
declaration of the state of emergency ... to
repressive measures, is a desperate American attempt
to remedy the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan
and Pakistan," Zawahri said in an interview with al
Qaeda's media arm.
Shortly before Bhutto's return in October, Taliban
commander Haji Omar had pledged to attack her.
Pakistan's investigation of the killing will be a
major test of Musharraf's credibility, said P.J.
Crowley, a former National Security Council official.
In particular, he said, the probe must make a thorough
effort to identify any elements in the government who
may be complicit in the attack.
The United States offered FBI assistance in
investigating Bhutto's assassination, but Pakistan has
not yet made a request, FBI spokesman Stephen Kodak
said.
Bhutto, in an October letter to an acquaintance read
on CNN on Wednesday, said she would hold Musharraf
responsible if she were killed, for a failure to
authorize adequate security.
U.S. State Department spokesman Tom Casey said: "We
don't know who is responsible for this attack. ... But
it is clear that whoever is responsible is someone who
opposes peaceful, democratic development and change in
Pakistan." (Additional reporting by Paul Eckert,
editing by Doina Chiacu)
© Reuters 2007. All rights reserved.
---------------
Jusfiq Hadjar gelar Sutan Maradjo Lelo
Allah yang disembah orang Islam tipikal dan yang digambarkan oleh al-Mushaf itu
dungu, buas, kejam, keji, ganas, zalim lagi biadab hanyalah Allah fiktif.
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