Red Mosque An Al-Qaeda Operation
The Times of London reports today that the Red Mosque leadership -- now reaching room temperature in Islamabad -- took orders from al-Qaeda's senior leadership. Pakistani intelligence officials found letters from Ayman al-Zawahiri to the two brothers who ran the mosque, and that eighteen foreign fighters joined the mosque just before it took hostages and set up the standoff:
AL-QAEDA’S leadership secretly directed the Islamic militants whose armed revolt at the Red Mosque in Islamabad ended last week with more than 100 deaths after it was stormed by the Pakistan army.According to senior intelligence officials, the troops who finally took control discovered letters from Osama Bin Laden’s deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri. They were written to Abdul Rashid Ghazi and Abdul Aziz, the brothers who ran the mosque and adjacent madrasah.
Government sources said up to 18 foreign fighters -- including Uzbeks, Egyptians and several Afghans -- had arrived weeks before the final shootout and set up firing ranges to teach students, including children, how to handle weapons.
The arrival of the foreign fighters appears to be the key as to why talks broke down between Ghazi and the Pakistani military. Zawahiri sent them not only for training, but to bolster the will of Ghazi and his mosque's contingent. They drilled them on weapons and tactics and ensured that Ghazi would not capitulate to Musharraf. They may have taken an even more active role than that during negotiations, as the military had thought a deal was close to fruition at one point.
Why did AQ want the Red Mosque to get attacked? They wanted a high-profile martyrdom operation. Zawahiri wanted to wave a bloody shirt in Pakistan and get the populace aroused, and the only way to do that was to have the government kill some radical imams. The AQ leader instructed Ghazi and the mosque's leadership to conduct operations that would get a big response from the government and essentially force Musharraf to act.
It worked, but not as well as Zawahiri would have hoped. A few lunatics conducted suicide-bomb attacks and killed a few dozen people during and after the standoff, but no massive uprising on behalf of the radicals has been seen. Instead, it may have pushed Musharraf towards more direct action against Zawahiri and an end to the autonomy of the tribes in Waziristan. Musharraf has sent the army north to the frontier, and they may not stop until they reach Zawahiri himself. Alternately, Musharraf might invite the US to conduct smaller-scale military operations against AQ and Taliban areas in Waziristan in order to reduce the threat of further mischief by Zawahiri.
Zawahiri may have forced Musharraf to act. He may wind up regretting it.
Posted by Ed Morrissey on July 15, 2007 6:00 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)
Comments (3)
Posted by reliapundit | July 15, 2007 10:30 AM
mushie should nuke them.
Posted by eaglewings | July 15, 2007 11:51 AM
Gee, three completely botched operations in one week. Perhaps Osama should revoke the diplomas given out at AlQuedemorat University.
Posted by exDemo | July 16, 2007 12:02 AM
The toughest thing for any Army, particularly a very hierarchcal one, is to continue to have its senior cadre killed off.
AQI doesn't have a week go by wihtout losing an equivalent of a general. The North 'vietnamese never lost a member of Gen Giap's high command ands the Politburo never losot a single member that they didn't themselves replace.
One group won; the AQi will and is increasingly demonstrating that it is losing and dsiintegrating. in effectiveness..