LeT has expanded its operation to Afghan, West: Mullen

Rezaul H Laskar
Islamabad, Jul 24 (PTI) LeT, blamed for the Mumbai
attacks, has expanded its operations to Afghanistan and the
West and has become more active throughout the region, which
calls for concerted action against the outlawed group,
America's top military official said Saturday.
"I've watched LeT (grow) since the end of 2008, move
to the West, become more active in other countries, more
active throughout the region, more engaged with other
terrorist groups," Mullen, who arrived in Pakistan on Saturday
to meet with the leadership and military officials, said
during an interaction with a group of journalists here.
Besides expanding to the West, the LeT "is in
Afghanistan (and) other countries", Mullen said in response to
questions.
He said there is "heightened concern about (LeT’s)
emergence and what is significant (is its) emergence not only
on the regional stage but potentially as a terror organisation
with global aspirations".
"There is an increased level of concern where the LeT
is and where it appears to be headed. It is something we all
have to address," he said.
Mullen initially tried to parry a question on whether
he had raised America's concerns about the LeT with Pakistan's
leadership by saying that everyone would have to work together
to address the threat posed by the group.
In response to a pointed question on the same issue,
Mullen indicated he had raised the matter with the Pakistani
leadership on more than one occasion.
"I tried to make the case that the LeT is a growing
threat, it is an organisation that is becoming more lethal.
(This has been) proven so and it is not just operating where
it used to be. It's expanding, it is in the West, it is in
Afghanistan, it is in other countries. All of us have to be
concerned about it," he said.
India says Pakistan-based LeT, which was founded by
terrorist leader Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, was behind the 2008
Mumbai carnage and wants Islamabad to take action against
terror emanating from its soil against India.
The LeT, which was banned during the tenure of former
military ruler Pervez Musharraf, re-emerged as the
Jamaat-ud-Dawah. The JuD, which is also headed by Saeed, was
banned by the UN in the wake of the Mumbai attacks.
Replying to another question, Mullen said the US
believed top Al Qaida leaders, including Osama bin Laden and
Aiman al-Zawahiri, are in Pakistan.
The presence of these terrorist leaders in the region
is a reason why "a principal part of the overall Af-Pak
strategy is focussed on eliminate safe havens" for them, he
said. (More) PTI