Renewed Warnings About Al Qaeda

(CBS)  Written for CBSNews.com by Farhan Bokhari, reporting from Islamabad.

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A senior U.S. official on Wednesday renewed warnings of the danger posed by al Qaeda to the security of the United States, the Western world, Pakistan and Afghanistan, in a message pointed at Pakistani leaders.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher, ending a three day visit to Islamabad, told a news conference: "Al Qaeda is very, very dangerous. It remains a grave threat to the United States, to the western world and also to Pakistan and Afghanistan. We (the U.S.) are not the only target. We are all going to have to deal with this."

Boucher's visit coincided with a much publicized Pakistani military campaign at targets belonging to pro-Taliban Islamic groups around Peshawar, the key northern city close to the Afghan border.

The campaign has been publicized by Pakistani authorities as evidence of their commitment to fight terrorist groups - a promise in contrast to claims from western diplomats who say that Pakistan could further intensify its efforts.

For the past five years, Pakistani military troops have been stationed across what is known as the tribal areas - a semi autonomous region along the Afghan border. U.S. officials have said the tribal region has become a haven for militants including those belonging to al Qaeda.

"Unfortunately they (al Qaeda) still retain a certain ability to operate in the tribal areas. They have friends that are (in) Pakistan and (among) Afghans to help them" said Boucher, adding that "some of these people (among Islamic militants) are very hardcore, very dangerous and we have to fight them."

Boucher also used the occasion to urge Pakistani leaders to stop internal squabbling over the future of President Pervez Musharraf and concentrate other pressing problems, notably security conditions linked to Islamic militancy and soaring food prices as well as the fallout from fuel prices.

Musharraf has been the president of Pakistan for the past nine years since he seized power in a bloodless military coup. He has remained a close ally of the United States since he turned his back on Afghanistan's former Taliban regime and joined the coalition against terror right after the New York terrorist attacks.

Musharraf has become increasingly isolated since politicians loyal to him were defeated in national parliamentary elections in February this year. But critics of the new government believe that politicians such as Nawaz Sharif, the former prime minister and a leader of the new ruling coalition, have spent too much time focusing on Musharraf's political fate.

"Frankly, President Musharraf is not the issue right now. This is not the problem that Pakistan faces right now" said Boucher. "The problem Pakistani people face is the danger of bombings, suicide bombers, rising food prices. There are energy difficulties" he said.

Pakistan's new financial year which began on Tuesday saw prices of natural gas rise by up to a staggering 31 per cent, in addition to price increases of different types of fuels such as petrol, diesel and kerosene oil.

Pakistan, like other developing countries, suffers from the fallout of historically high global oil prices. But western diplomats warn, the country's failure to tackle this issue could lead to angry street riots which in the extreme may bring down the country's ruling structure.

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Farhan Bokhari has been covering Southeast Asia for several large European news organizations for 16 years. Based in Islamabad, he focuses his coverage on politics and security issues surrounding the war against terrorism.

By Farhan Bokhari

[standlee5]

Hopefully Obama will do another flip-flop and admit that the worldwide war on terror is an essential endeavor.

[deacon20081]

Propaganda just gets Churned Out daily huh?
Oh that''s right an election where the republicans are in for a thrashing is coming up.....Surprised?

[samsel3]

And the extermination continues............

More than a year and half before 911 the CIA Special Activities Division was conducting operations in Afghanistan, trying to topple the Taliban regime for the Caspian Sea Oil & Gas Pipelines...........We now call such activities terror.



February 12, 1998 John J. Maresca vp of UNOCAL oil appeared before a House sub committee. The purpose of the meeting was to gain support for exploitation of oil & natural gas resources, for the rights purchased by BIG OIL in the Caspian Sea area.

In his testimony he stated, "The key question is how the energy resources of Central Asia can be made available to nearby Asian markets ". The exploitation option stated : "One obvious route south would cross Iran, but this is foreclosed by American companies because of U.S. sanctions (with Iran ) . The only other possible route is across Afghanistan, which of course has it''''''''s own unique challenges. " He continued saying, " the pipeline we have proposed across Afghanistan could not begin until a recognized government is in place that has the confidence of governments,lenders (world monitary fund & world bank ) ,and our company "......"

UNOCAL and other American companies are prepared to undertake the job ".

[trillion1]

Is this the same State Dept. that dropped the ball and let 911 happen?

[whiskyrocker]

We do have an election coming up. This is just republicon propagada.

[petro49l]

Bin Laden executes rank and file Arabs every day for sport and profit. Others are sent against Coalition guns and shot down. The Saudis pay Bin Laden to eliminate undesirable villages throughout the region. Hitler did the same thing during World War II. George W. Bush is nothing more than a profiteer and genocidalist. Saudis enjoy a high price for gasoline and they count the dead like cut wood in a pile.

[feelfree4u]

RE: "If only my fellow Americans had such guts."

Posted by brianbwb

Dare to dream...

[brianbwb-2009]

"Pakistan, like other developing countries, suffers from the fallout of historically high global oil prices. But western diplomats warn, the country%u2019s failure to tackle this issue could lead to angry street riots which in the extreme may bring down the country''s ruling structure."

If only my fellow Americans had such guts.

[feelfree4u]

Al-Qaqa is a grave and gathering danger.

It has all the hallmarks.

We''re turning the corner in The War On Terror (TWOT).

[feelfree4u]

Re: "If he didn''t exist, this administration would have created one. He''s entirely to useful to them."

Posted by firststate

I think that this is safe to assume.