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Islamabad seeks strategy against extremist gains

Prime minister fears 9/11-type attack

By Khudayar Khan THE WASHINGTON TIMES | Friday, July 18, 2008

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ISLAMABAD | Leaders of Pakistan's four-party governing coalition will meet next week to develop a strategy to deal with foreign extremists in the tribal areas where, Prime Minister Yousaf Reza Gilani said, their numbers are increasing by the day.

Mr. Gilani told reporters that the militants could precipitate a Sept. 11-type attack again unless strong action is taken against them.

"When there is interference in the [tribal areas] from people who [do] not belong to your country and they are coming from Chechnya, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan and they are militants disturbing the peace of the country, naturally [the United States] object because they don't want ... another [incident] of the same nature as 9/11 [to] take place," the Press Trust of India quoted Mr. Gilani as saying.

The leaders of the four-party coalition, he said, would attempt to work out a strategy to curb terrorism and suicide bombings in the country, but ruled out allowing U.S. troops to operate inside Pakistan's borders.

The prime minister made his remarks amid reports of a buildup of NATO forces close to the Pakistani border and fears that U.S. commandos could enter the tribal belt known as the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) to attack the Taliban militant bases and training camps if the Pakistani forces are unable to do the job themselves.

"The [July 23-24] meeting will decide a plan of action to proceed against terrorists, suicide bombers and a handful of people who are disturbing the peace of the nation and creating a law and order problem," Mr. Gilani told reporters Monday night in Lahore.

Pakistan Muslim League chief Nawaz Sharif, Awami National Party chief Asfandyar Wali Khan, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Pakistan People's Party Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari would attend the meeting, he said.

Retired army chief Gen. Mirza Aslam Beg told the Washington Times recently that foreign fighters in Pakistan also included Arabs and extremists from as many as 70 Muslim countries.

Insurgent activity is increasing in Afghanistan as violence plummets in Iraq.

The Washington Times reported last month that U.S. officials were seeing a sharp drop in the number of foreigners entering Iraq to become al Qaeda suicide bombers.