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Pak police unearth terrorist camps;
plan crackdown

Pakistani law enforcement agencies have identified a number of terrorist camps in the northwest Baluchistan province and chalked out comprehensive plans to wipe them out, officials said.

"We, as well as the higher authorities, are aware of the terrorists camps in Kohlu district. The option to eliminate these camps has been evaluated at the highest level and plans to wipe them out have almost been finalised," the highly-placed officials were quoted as saying.

They did not identify the terrorist groups running the camps.

Pakistan is grappling with indigenous Islamic terrorist outfits as well as remnants of the Al Qaeda and Taliban who crossed over to the country to escape from the crackdown launched by US-led forces in Afghanistan.

Asked why no immediate action has been taken to eliminate these camps, the officials said, "The prevailing conditions on the eastern (Indian), as well as the western (Afghanistan) borders, do not permit the mustering up of the requisite troops for an immediate clean-up operation."

"Nevertheless, these camps are being monitored and necessary safeguards have been put into place," they said.

The officials said the supply of arms to these terrorist camps has been curtailed.

The arms and ammunitions smuggling routes in the province were being checked with greater intensity through increased patrolling in the suspected areas, they told the Daily Times newspaper.

"Suspected locations of arms and ammunitions dumps are under scrutiny and will be dealt with properly on receiving specific information. Any premature or abortive attempt to recover these weapons may cause a shifting of locations," they said.

The disclosures about the terrorist camps followed the publication of a three-page statement in an Urdu newspaper in Karachi on Sunday bearing photographs of bin Laden, his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri and 17 others under the caption - 'dangerous religious terrorists'.

The statement released by the Pakistan interior ministry in Urud said, "Those who kill innocent Pakistani people are the enemy of peace and the country."

"Their purpose is terrorism and destruction, their religion is only terrorism. Terrorism is not jihad (holy war). Support the Pakistani government against terrorism," it said.

The statement also quoted the Quran and urged people to contact the police in case they have any information on terrorists, but did not offer any reward.

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