Village set for 'al-Qaeda' burial

[Talon]

Village set for 'al-Qaeda' burial

Hundreds of people have gathered at a village in Pakistan's Punjab province for the funeral of key al-Qaeda suspect Amjad Farooqi.

Farooqi was killed by security forces in a gun battle in Nawabshah, Sindh province, on 26 September.

His family expects to receive his body later on Wednesday now that DNA tests have proven his identity.

There is a heavy police presence in the village in Toba Tek Singh district amid fears of violence.

President Pervez Musharraf said the killing of Farooqi had removed a "serious terrorist threat".

Islamic tradition

The BBC's Adnan Adil in Lahore says an official of the Special Branch telephoned the family on Wednesday morning to tell them the body would be released later in the day.

The family says they have made all the arrangements for funeral prayers and have invited guests.

People soon began arriving from nearby towns and villages. Some reports said around 1,000 had come by nightfall.

According to Islamic tradition, Muslims should be buried within 24 hours of death, but the authorities retained Farooqi's body to confirm his identity.

One of Farooqi's relatives, Qari Sanaullah, told Reuters: "It was cruel to kill Amjad. He was a loyal Pakistani and committed Muslim."

He said Farooqi had told him 18 months ago he had been a personal guard to Osama Bin Laden and had recruited up to 400 men from his own district to fight a jihad, or holy war.

Some of the walls in the village bore slogans saying: "Long live Jaish-e-Mohammad" - the name of the militant group to which he belonged.

Farooqi had been wanted in connection with two assassination attempts on President Musharraf last December.

Farooqi was also indicted for involvement in the kidnapping in 2002 and subsequent beheading of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/worl...sia/3721154.stm

[Talon]

UK hails Pakistan al-Qaeda fight

UK Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon predicts that US and Pakistani forces will have increasing success in their fight against al-Qaeda forces.

He was speaking after meeting President Pervez Musharraf in Islamabad.

Pakistan has deployed thousands of soldiers in the border areas with Afghanistan to root out foreign militants and local supporters.

Mr Hoon also discussed Pakistan's peace process with India and has now arrived in Delhi to continue his tour.

Past difficulties

Mr Hoon said after his talks with General Musharraf: "We certainly held some extremely good discussions about the efforts being made by Pakistan to deal with the threats across the border."

US officials have, in the past, criticised Pakistani efforts to prevent al-Qaeda and Taleban members escaping into Pakistan from Afghanistan.

Mr Hoon referred to that on Wednesday when he said that "in the past there has been a difficulty of al-Qaeda terrorists making their escapes into the mountains and beyond".

However, he indicated that the security situation had improved.

"The combination of efforts on the both sides of the border, I believe, will be increasingly successful," he told a press conference in Islamabad.

The Pakistani army says it has killed about 150 militants since March in its operations in the semi-autonomous area of Waziristan, which borders Afghanistan.

It is the first time in Pakistan's history that central forces have taken control of the province, which traditionally has been run by tribal councils.

Mr Hoon has also been keen to encourage Pakistan's peace talks with India.

On Tuesday he said he welcomed the current thaw in relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

"We as friends, both of Pakistan and India, are delighted that our friends are engaging in this process and we will do whatever we can in whatever small way we can to support it," he said.

In India, Mr Hoon is scheduled to meet the foreign and defence ministers, senior government officials and military chiefs.

In the Indian Express newspaper, Mr Hoon said of his visit to India: "We will extend co-operation in the fight against terrorism to new forms of criminality including illegal immigration, money laundering and terrorist financing."

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/worl...sia/3720242.stm

[Talon]

Al-Qaeda suspect buried in Punjab

The funeral of al-Qaeda suspect Amjad Farooqi has taken place overnight at a village in Pakistan's Punjab province.

Farooqi was killed by security forces in a gun battle in Nawabshah, Sindh province, on 26 September.

His family received his body on Wednesday after DNA tests had proven his identity.

There was a heavy police presence in the village in Toba Tek Singh district amid fears of violence in the run-up to the funeral.

But Farooqi's took place overnight without large crowds in attendance.

President Pervez Musharraf said the killing of Farooqi had removed a "serious terrorist threat".

Islamic tradition

The BBC's Adnan Adil in Lahore says an official of the Special Branch telephoned the family on Wednesday morning to tell them the body would be released later in the day.

The family said they had made all the arrangements for funeral prayers and had invited guests.

People soon began arriving from nearby towns and villages. Some reports said around 1,000 had come by nightfall.

According to Islamic tradition, Muslims should be buried within 24 hours of death, but the authorities retained Farooqi's body to confirm his identity.

One of Farooqi's relatives, Qari Sanaullah, told Reuters: "It was cruel to kill Amjad. He was a loyal Pakistani and committed Muslim."

He said Farooqi had told him 18 months ago he had been a personal guard to Osama Bin Laden and had recruited up to 400 men from his own district to fight a jihad, or holy war.

Some of the walls in the village bore slogans saying: "Long live Jaish-e-Mohammad" - the name of the militant group to which he belonged.

Farooqi had been wanted in connection with two assassination attempts on President Musharraf last December.

Farooqi was also indicted for involvement in the kidnapping in 2002 and subsequent beheading of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/worl...sia/3721154.stm