Washington, May 18 (IANS): Support for cutting off some US aid to Pakistan because leaders there turn a blind eye to terrorists who go after US targets is growing in US Congress, according to a key Senator.
"The continued harbouring of the Haqqani network and the Quetta Shura by the Pakistanis... represents a real problem in terms of continuing financial support for Pakistan," Carl Levin, the powerful chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee told reporters on Tuesday. "These are people killing us, and it's open. It's not like (slain Al Qaeda leader Osama) bin Laden when they deny they knew bin Laden was there for five years," he said. "That was pretty hard to accept but that's what they say. They don't say they don't know where the Haqqanis are. They do know where the Haqqanis are - they're in North Waziristan." Both the Haqqani network and the Quetta Shura have ties to the Pakistani Taliban.
Top Al Qaeda leader held in Pakistan:
A senior Al Qaeda leader, who was active in the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan, has been arrested in the port city of Karachi, the army said in Islamabad on Tuesday. Mohammed Ali Qasim alias Abu Sohaib Al-Makki who hails from Yemen was arrested on Tuesday, Geo News reported.
The Pakistan Army spokesman said in a press release that the Al Qaeda leader was arrested in an operation conducted by the security agencies. Al-Makki was also in regular contact with other leaders of his outfit hiding in the border region, the statement said.
Security officials have hailed the arrest of Al-Makki as a "major breakthrough" in the war on terror.
Al-Makki is the first high-value terrorist arrested in Pakistan since the killing of Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden by US special forces in Abbottabad early this month.
