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| US sleuths believe ISI had links with Headley |
| Ajay Kaul/ PTI / Geneva Nov 22, 2009, 19:21 IST |
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The US investigators believe some elements in Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) could be linked to American terror suspect David Headley who is currently in Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) custody for trying to plot attacks in India.
The investigators made this assessment on the basis of the arrest of "two key persons" in Pakistan, sources said. Illyas Kashmiri, a former Pakistani military officer who has become a militant commander associated with both al-Qaeda and Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), is one among them.
They have also zeroed in on a Pakistani national who is suspected to be a key link between LeT handlers and Headley and his Pakistani-Canadian associate Tahawwur Hussain Rana, the sources added.
The sources said India is expected to know in a week from the US whether Headley and Rana, who are operatives of LeT, were involved in Mumbai attacks. Agencies in India have been suspecting that the duo could have been involved in 26/11.
The sources said there is no evidence so far to link the duo with the Mumbai attack.
India and the US are in constant touch on the Headley case and Washington has conveyed that within a week there could be "authentic" information whether they were involved in the attack, the sources added.
A Pakistani national believed to be a common link between the LeT handlers like Zaki-ur-Lakhvi and the two terror suspects detained by the FBI has been identified and probe on him is expected to reveal whether Headley and Rana had any role.
The national, whose identity has been kept secret, is believed to have been in Pakistan at the time of Mumbai carnage.
Headley, a Pakistan-born US citizen, and Rana, Pak-born Canadian citizen, were arrested last month by FBI for allegedly plotting terror attacks in India and Denmark.
Indian investigators have found that the duo had visited India a number of times and toured various places apparently to conduct recce.
Against the backdrop of Headley case, India wants the US to lean more on Pakistan to end terrorism, including those directed against New Delhi.
The sources said the US has also received assurances from Pakistan that it is committed to defeating all forms of terrorism but was not sure whether it included those directed against India.
These issues are understood to have come up for discussions during the meeting between Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Chief Leon E Panetta and National Security Adviser M K Narayanan.
Narayanan also discussed the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan and the US policies relating to the two countries.
Sources said India has a stake in the developments in Afghanistan and Pakistan considering the terrorism emanating from there.
The success of the US' Af-Pak policy is vital for India as the victory of Taliban could have grave consequences.
The US anticipates terrorism in Afghanistan to witness a surge after the new government headed by Hamid Karzai and is planning to increase its forces substantially soon.
The US feels that its military campaign will have results in 12 to 18 months, the sources said. The US is also going to announce its new Af-Pak policy soon.
India feels that Karzai government should also be allowed a chance to succeed in its efforts, the sources said.
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