Pakistan Militants On Move To Afghanistan

CBS News Has Learned Group Suspected In Mumbai Terror Attacks Has Ordered Its Militants To Take Refuge

(CBS)  Pakistan’s banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant group, suspected to have launched last month’s terrorist attacks in Mumbai, has ordered its militant volunteers to leave Pakistan’s territory and take refuge in Afghanistan, senior security officials in Pakistan and the Middle East have revealed to CBS News.

The orders were given several days in advance of Monday’s arrest in Pakistan of Zaki ur Rehman Lakhvi, a senior LeT commander, suspected by Indian officials of assisting the planning of the Mumbai attacks.

The arrest, which a senior Pakistani intelligence official confirmed to CBS News, came as part of a series of raids by Pakistani forces on camps used by Lashkar-e-Taiba.

According to information shared with CBS News on the LeT’s orders, a number of the group’s militant warriors were already holed up in Pakistan’s tribal areas which lie along the country’s border with Afghanistan -- a territory where the Pakistani military is fighting Islamic militant groups.

The tribal area has become the militants’ focal point. Al Qaeda and the Taliban, through support from groups such as LeT, are waging a resistance movement against the Pakistani military on the Pakistani side of the border and against U.S. and NATO troops on the Afghan side of the border.

A senior security official from the Middle East with access to information on LeT’s workings said that most of the group’s militant fighters were in the tribal areas when the Mumbai attacks took place.

These militants had apparently moved out of the Pakistani portion of Kashmir between early October and mid-November, ahead of snowfall in the region, which makes it practically impossible for them to cross the mountainous snow-clad passes between the Pakistani side of Kashmir and the Indian portion of Kashmir.

“You have to know a bit about the tactics of this group before you understand what they are doing right now,” said the Middle Eastern security official, who spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity. “I know on good authority that Lashkar-e-Taiba during the past few days has ordered its people to leave from the tribal areas for Afghanistan."

A Pakistani security official, familiar with the investigations ahead of Monday’s arrest of Lakhvi, speaking to CBS News on condition of anonymity said, "Most of these militants had either left for Afghanistan or were in the process of leaving from the tribal areas."

The Middle Eastern security official said the implication of the LeT’s move may be that the group will now try to retaliate against Pakistan’s military forces by staging a larger number of attacks after regrouping on Afghan soil.

“The possibility of more attacks on Pakistan by LeT members cannot be discounted” he said.

Pakistan's government has ordered a tightening of security at mosques and other places of worship ahead of Tuesday's Eid-ul-Adha festival, which follows the Hajj, an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca. This year, the height of the Islamic festive season comes as government forces wage a new crackdown on militants.

[abdulli-2009]

Who ever you are, stop blaming CIA and Mossad for the Bloodshed you see in our world today, this is not a cold war era. Wake up man!!!!!!!! this is the work of our Mullahs and Maulanas and their *** made doctrines. For their own selfish motives they brain wash people like you in beleiving in this philosophy or they will use holy koran to justify their motives. Why dont you Blame thosse F****** Saudis whaabis.

[mtminds]

The pigs are migrating for the winter.

[joethedumber]

You cant fight hate with more hate. You reap what you sew.

[hermitdave]

Gosh they can''t do that. Crusader George is still looking for Osama and the dudes that planned 9/11 in a Afghan cave.

[fear_crysis]

lol 3 americans died in their own country by f-18 yes by their own fighter jets same jets they used to kill innocent kids in afghanistan and pakistan thanx to God. see thats y i said they died coz its a curse from God its liek God saying u kill other defendless people ill kill urs in ur own home country love God always.

[maxeconomics]

U.S. will never will in Afgan. Just like wars in Viet., and Korea. It''s like turning every Afgan into American. They have a whole population against the U.S., the longer the U.S. troops stay in the country, the longer the people hate U.S. Think about why those countries hate America, Why they don''t hate countries like Switzerland?

The American people should think: What''s happening in other countries are not our business. Why should we spend vast amount of money in war? And not focusing our own problems and economy? To solve the current situation, the present need to withdrawal all the troops and annouce: we are looking for long term relationship with the Afgan., we will help the Afgan people and develop the country. What''s happenned in the past have past, we are looking foward to work together and build our home call the Earth.

[mrmeatspin]

the liberals just gave terrorism another chance..

[haijosek]

Now Pakistan is playing with one more card.

Its a naked truth that Pakistan is supporting all terrorists and they are acting like they are trying to erase terrorism. No its not. They are again bluffing the people around the world.

Just think how can any terrorism grow and move so freely in a country without the help of the government or Government agencies ???

Now it was almost sure that if Pakistan didnt take necessary actions, they may face an attack from India, which none of the countries around the world except Pakistan''s supporters. So they are now moving ahead with a clear plan. And they are all setting up to take that fear out of their country.

I''m pretty sure that these terrorists will stay and travel all through Pakistan as easily and freely as anything. They will not move to Afghan since the US forces and new Afghan government will catch them.

Dear PAKISTAN, please stop these unfair actions, or you may have to face HUGE impacts.

[yongamerica]

CBS, these people and orgaization is hardly militant. Militant suggests that they focus their weapons and tactics on only military targets. This organization is a terrorist organization because it targets civilians and civilian targets to create fear terror and mayhem.

[yongamerica]

Read Tribal Areas as Terrorist Areas.
Tribal areas are off limits to the Pakistan Army right now, in order to preserve the peace within Pakistan.

Isn''t that convenient!

[matrixrx2003]

Good Now there are more targets in Afghanistan.

[checkthepast]

Everyone needs to agree to allow the mountainous region between Pakistan and Afghanistan to have its own autonomous government. Thousands of radicals would come like moths to flames and their international policies would be their own doing (and undoing!). Perhaps all the countries of the world that have been attacked by these nut-cases could vote about what to do with them... maybe call it ''REVENGISTAN''.

[drputt45]

What miserable place it must be to live. Nothing but wars and bad weather. How do you tell your enemy from your neighbor?

[displeased]

How do ignore the ongoing agenda of the militants worldwide, many attacks and bombings have nothing to do with Israel. The only thing you accomplish with your false rhetoric is exemplifying your own anti-semetic views
Posted by notblue

Didn''t Osama Bin Laden himself make the claim that USA support of Israel was one of the reasons of the 9/11 attacks?

[roadracer9x]

IamHungry68 - Supporting Israel IS in America''s best interest. Technology developed there is responsible for everything from the computers you send out ignorant rants on to technology that allows our pilots to successfully engage an enemy plane from great distances. You have no idea of the medical, scientific, and defense technological breakthroughs that come out of that tiny country and are made available to the US. I know because I have been there and seen them. AND the TRUTH is that even if Israel did not exist, the Islamic fascists would still be attacking us as infidels. Israel is a convenient scapegoat for all the ills in the Islamic world. They only have to look within to see the real devil.

[notblue]

Iamhungry, we are susceptiple to Muslim attacks because of the Islamic Jihadist ideology, not because we support Israel. How do ignore the ongoing agenda of the militants worldwide, many attacks and bombings have nothing to do with Israel. The only thing you accomplish with your false rhetoric is exemplifying your own anti-semetic views

[runningralph]

This is good news. It shows that the Pakistani government realizes they can''t have stability with so many psychopaths running loose. Good Moslems in the US and everywhere need to loudly and publicly denounce jihad.

[thuderstone]

MikeTotten1,

You are messing the Pakistan side up, are you working for Isreal?

[cbsnews53]

Posted by demswin08 at 09:00 AM : Dec 08, 2008

I would sooner get our men and women out of Iraq before I even pretended to care about what happens to Israel.

[juwboy]

MikeTotten1, a subhuman Arab jihadist, posing as a patriotic American.