Lashkar Chief Joins Ranks Of World’s Most Wanted Terrorists
New Delhi: India’s tormentor-in-chief, chief of Pakistan’s deadliest terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba Hafiz Saeed, now carries a $10 million bounty on his head. The US has announced this reward for the capture or information leading to the capture of Saeed, making him one of the most wanted terrorists in the world.
In her maiden visit to India, US undersecretary of state Wendy Sherman told Indian officials and a select audience at the Aspen Institute that apart from Saeed, his brotherin-law and co-founder of Lashkar, Abdul Rehman Makki, now carries a bounty of $3 million on his head.
LeT, and principally Saeed, are accused of planning and executing the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai with the help of Pakistan’s spy agency, ISI. Under Saeed’s watch, Lashkar has grown to become a terror group that rivals Al Qaeda in its reach and lethality. Although primarily focused against India, LeT, which has links with the ISI (some claim that it has been nurtured by it) the ISI, has reached European and Australian shores.
The US still has $25 million on the head of Ayman al Zawahiri, the head of Al Qaeda after the killing of Osama bin Laden in Abbotabad, Pakistan, last year, making him the most wanted terrorist in the world. Saeed is in the second rung – he joins the ranks of Taliban chief Mullah Omar and the Al Qaeda chiefs of Iran and Iraq, all of whom carry a reward of $ 10 million.
However, unlike Zawahiri, Mullah Omar and the Qaeda heads of Iraq and Iran, all of whom are in hiding, Hafiz Saeed is out in the open: he moves around freely in Pakistan, addresses meetings, often spewing venomous hatred against India and other democracies. Despite his alleged involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai attack, Islamabad has refused to act against him. The reward on him would put Pakistan in an awkward position. LeT chief now target of US drone attack
New Delhi: The US decision to announce $10 million bounty on LeT chief means that Hafiz Saeed now becomes a legitimate target for a US drone attack, like the ones that killed Baitullah Mehsud, head of Pakistan Taliban, and Ilyas Kashmiri, head of Al Qaeda’s Brigade 313.
In recent months, Hafiz Saeed has entertained political ambitions, and has established a new umbrella group of 40 Pakistani terror groups called the Difa-e-Pakistan (Pakistan Defence Council). In his numerous rallies in Lahore and Karachi, Saeed has declared that violence and terrorism against India was justified and would continue. His rallies have even drawn support from cricketer Imran Khan, of Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaaf party.
Saeed is found on TV talk shows in Pakistan, and recently shared a panel with Mani Shankar Aiyar. The US announcement will effectively drive him underground. Sources here said, along with Mullah Omar, Hafiz Saeed may move into Pakistan government’s “protection” in safe houses and such.
The US announcement would make the ISI very uncomfortable. Hafiz Saeed and the LeT is suspected to be a creature of ISI’s policies against India. In all these years, Saeed or LeT have refrained from attacking Pakistani interests, unlike, say, Hakeemullah Mehsud of Tehreek-e-Taliban, who carries $5 million on his head.
The other top terrorists carrying multi-million dollar bounties on their heads are Ayman al Zawahiri (Al Qaeda, suspected to be hiding in Pakistan, $25 million); Yasin Al Suri (Iran-based Al Qaeda leader, $10 million); Abu Du’a (leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, $10 million); Mullah Omar (Taliban, likely to be hiding in Pakistan, $10 million); Hakeemullah Mehsud and Waliur Rehman, both of Tehreek-e-Taliban ($5 million each); and Saif-al Adel (Al Qaeda head of military operations, $5 million).
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