Al-Qaida Positioning to Take Over Pakistan nukes

WTPWire Service Stories

Dec 19, 2007 3:00 PM PST

Osama bin Laden is positioning al-Qaida to take over Pakistan's nuclear weapons arsenal through a combination of violence and politics. He fully intents to manipulate and destabilize Pakistan, forcing the nation into civil war, seizing power jointly with other radical jihadists and taking over control of the world's first Islamic nuclear bombs, all this according to an evaluation report in a recent West Point anti-terrorism journal.

Bruce Riedel writing in the Combating Terrorism Center's Sentinel, a new publication of the U.S. military academy, who is a former senior U.S. official now with the Brookings Institution, says Pakistan represents the "real front line in the war against al-Qaida."

The most frightening part of advances by Islamists confronting the government of Perves Musharraf is the determination of al-Qaida to obtain nuclear weapons.

Al-Qaida like Iran has been pursuing nuclear weapons for more than a decade, according to former CIA Director George Tenet.

"Today, [al-Qaida] has a secure operating base in the country, its leadership is issuing constant guidance to its global supporters, it is threatening NATO's position in Afghanistan through its Taliban allies, and it is now a growing force in Pakistan itself," writes Riedel. "The current political crisis in Pakistan is endangering the secular democratic forces in the country, polarizing the debate about the country's future and strengthening al-Qaida's Islamist partners."

Riedel reports both bin Laden and his No. 2 commander, Ayman al-Zawahiri, could well be in any of Pakistan's remote areas, out of control of government forces.

"From Baluchistan to Kashmir, much of western Pakistan is sympathetic to al-Qaida's message and remains an open field where they can operate," wrote Riedel. "Even in the urban areas, al-Qaida operatives have been able to attack key targets, including military posts, with increasingly deadly results."

Al-Qaida, Riedel writes, "seeks to destroy the secular political leadership and civil society that offers an alternative to its extremist Salafist Islamic preaching. Al-Qaida's goal in Pakistan is to polarize the country into warring factions, break the back of civil and secular society and ultimately see its allies in the Pakistani Islamist movement seize power."

Some now think Iran is supporting Al-Qaida by sending members of their elite special forces to train and equip Al-Qaida and Taliban allies on the ground in Pakistan. Iran is smuggling other fighters like radical jihadists to enforce the relatively weak number of Al-Qaida fighters on the ground now in Pakistan. And in return Iran is betting they will benefit by sharing control over the  Pakistan nuclear arsenals, according to former CIA Director George Tenet. 

BOOKS/CD ROMS

FREE DOWNLOADS

Red Road
by Michael Webster.  White Buffalo Cover Painting By Michael J. Lavery. Cover Design by Mark Lowe

REDROAD

LEMONFAST

LemonFast
by Michael Webster &

Michael J.Lavery: Cover Painting by Michael J. Lavery. Cover Design by Mark Low

Christian Covenant
by Michael Webster. Cover Design by Mark Lowe

THE CHRISTIAN COVENANT

Venture Capital
by Michael Webster

For Any of The Above CD ROMS. RedRoad, LemonFast, Christian Covenant, SURVIVAL FAMILY EMERGENCY RERSPONSE & PREPAREDNES GUIDE. Or "CERT  Emergency Training Manual" with full color Photo's. Power Point Production. Send $25.00 check or money order to: Michael Webster 301 Forest Ave, Laguna Beach, CA 92651. State which CD ROM you want and be sure and give your return address.