Search the Internet          Tips  Links: Terror in America

Kashmir terrorism part of global war, says Powell

US Secretary of State Colin Powell Tuesday reiterated Washington's pledge that the United States-led campaign against terrorism will stamp out not only Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda network, but all of its global manifestations, including the terror network's appendages in Kashmir.

With India's External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh beside him, Powell strongly condemned the attack on the Srinagar legislature that killed at least 38 people, when a member of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad group carried out a suicide attack in a car laden with explosives.

Powell said that during his discussion with Singh, "I took the opportunity to express the condolences of the American people and my own personal condolences over the events that took place in Kashmir yesterday, that terrible terrorist act, that heinous act that killed innocent civilians and also struck at a government facility. It is this kind of terrorism that we are united against."

But when reporters asked Powell if the US was ready to go after terrorist camps and training centres in Pakistan, the response was circumspect. "We are against terrorism," Powell said. "This clearly was an act of terror. And as the president made clear in his statements and in his speech the week before last, we are going after terrorism in a comprehensive way, not just in the present instance of Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden, but terrorism as it affects nations around the world, to include the kind of terrorism that affects India."

When he was asked pointedly whether the US, which has been talking of going after bin Laden and his terrorist network in the initial phase, would include Pakistani militants who have been training in bin Laden's camps in Afghanistan, Powell continued to soft-pedal, clearly illustrating Washington's difficulty in blaming Pakistan because of its current role as a partner of the US.

"We are going after the al Qaeda network in its various manifestations and Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants who are in Afghanistan, in the first instance," Powell said. "And as I said previously and the president has said repeatedly, we are going to be conducting a campaign that goes after terrorism."

Reading between the lines of that question and that answer, what slips through the cracks is that the US is committing only to going after bin Laden's network in Afghanistan, and not its Pakistani offshoots.

"We will use many tools -- financial tools, intelligence, law enforcement, diplomatic and political tools -- to accomplish the mission that the president has set before us," Powell added.

When Singh was asked if Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf could be trusted as a full partner in the war against terrorism, he replied: "If the leadership of Pakistan were to abandon the path of violence and of terrorism and join the rest of the international community in its fight against this evil, it would be a development that India would welcome. Why not?"

Later at a press conference at the Indian embassy, Singh expressed confidence that the US would fulfil its promise to go after terrorists worldwide, including pursuing those in Kashmir, but cast grave doubts on Washington seeking Pakistan's support to fight terrorism perpetrated by bin Laden and the Al Qaeda network.

"I have no doubt in my mind that as this global fight against terrorism by free societies and democracies progresses, there is no way that the United States of America will give up the battle midway,"he said.

But Singh added, "Of course, I wish the United States of America good luck when they attempt to convert the problem into the solution, but let there be no confusion as to the essentials of the situation. Pakistan is part of the problem. Attempts now by the United States of America to employ Pakistan as part of the solution, well, good luck, try it out."

Singh argued that the US is well cognizant of Pakistani complicity in international terrorism. "It is a well known reality that over the last 10-12 years, Pakistan and Afghanistan have become really the principal exporters of terrorism all around."

He also expressed concern over the US lifting of sanctions against Pakistan, which could facilitate the flow of sophisticated weapons and other military hardware to Islamabad, reminiscent of the Cold War years when the latter was considered a strategic ally of the US in its fight against the perceived expansionism of the erstwhile Soviet Union.

"I made it very clear to them that we have travelled down this street on several earlier occasions," he said. "What ostensibly, purportedly, is military assistance to Pakistan for a specific purpose, a pattern with which we are entirely familiar, finds its way for the barrels to turn themselves towards India."

However, he declared that "I think the United States of America of 2001 is not the United States of America of 1980."

Singh bristled when asked what kind of assistance India has asked the US for in its fight against terrorism in Kashmir and elsewhere. "India's fight against terrorism did not start on September 11. For decades we have done it on our own and we will continue to do it with or without help," he said.

Singh said that the US is well aware that under the overall umbrella of Al Qaeda, groups like Laskar-e-Tayeba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and Al Badr were incorporated.

Singh disclosed that the US had "already shown" evidence to India that the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington were perpetrated by the bin Laden network. But he said that "the evidence that has been shared with India, I am afraid I am not free to share with you, but I will state I am entirely satisfied with what has been shared."

Asked if the US had asked India to exercise restraint and not engage in "hot pursuit" of terrorists into Pakistan, Singh said tersely: "No, they did not ask."

He said he couldn't understand why the rumor kept circulating that India had offered bases for the US to operate from in its pending military campaign against bin Laden and his network in Afghanistan. "No bases have been asked for and no bases have been offered," he said.

Besides Powell, Singh on Tuesday also met with Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, just before the latter took off to the Middle East and Central Asia.

Earlier, on Monday, Singh met with National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice. During this meeting, which lasted for 75 minutes, President George W Bush dropped by and participated in the discussions for nearly 40 minutes.

EARLIER REPORT:
J&K bomb blast terrible, heinous: Powell

The Attack on America: The Complete Coverage

The Terrorism Weblog: Latest stories from round the world

External Link:
For further coverage, please visit www.saja.org/roundupsept11.html

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report