Intelligence

Message intercepts suggest Al-Qaeda presence in J&K

Message intercepts suggest Al-Qaeda presence in J&K- The Times of India

NEW DELHI: Intercepts of telecommunication messages between militants in Jammu and Kashmir and their mentors in Pakistan suggest that cadres of foreign terrorist group Al-Qaeda were present in the Kashmir valley.

Senior security officials engaged in gathering "techint", or technical intelligence, in the Valley said there were intercepts of communications between Lashker-e-Taiba cadres about the presence of Al-Qaeda members.

The sources said while some of them were hiding in the higher reaches of Bandipore in north Kashmir along with LeT "chief commander" Bilal alias Salahuddin, a few more were believed to be holed up in the dense forests of Budhal in Qazigund along the Jammu-Srinagar highway in south Kashmir.

Both these locations are strategically placed as the terrorists could flee to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) within a short span of time in the event of any military offensive, they said.

The communications between two LeT groups in Bandipore and PoK that were intercepted were on a very low frequency transmitter, a mode of communication not generally used by the militants. The other intercept was of a conversation on a Thuriya satellite phone, the sources said.

The Al-Qaeda has apparently been roped in by LeT to step up militancy in the Kashmir valley, they said.

August 13, 2006 at 01:44 PM in Al Qaeda | Permalink | Top of page | Blog Home