Fears in US about Mumbai-type attacks
Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 11:44 am
The terrorist attacks in Mumbai have dramatically damaged Pakistan’s image in the United States where a consensus seems to be emerging that the terrorists may be planning a Mumbai-like attack on the US as well and that if such an attack happens, it will originate in Pakistan.
Over the past two days, more than a dozen senior US officials, lawmakers and terrorism experts discussed various scenarios for a possible terrorist attack on the United States. All pointed their fingers at Pakistan.
And these were not unnamed intelligence officials who in the past discussed such scenarios with the US media on the condition that they remained anonymous.
These were all senior officials and lawmakers -- such as Gen David H. Petraeus, the new head of the US Central Command; Ken Wainstein, the White House national security adviser; and Senator Joe Lieberman, chairman Senate Homeland and Governmental Affairs Committee. And they were all speaking on the record.
There were differences among them on the nature of the next terrorist attack on the United States, but not on its source. All agreed that the terrorists hiding in Pakistan’s tribal areas were already planning such an attack.
Before the Mumbai attacks, US officials and terrorism experts focussed on terrorists acquiring a so-called ‘dirty bomb’; a small nuclear, chemical or biological device big enough to cause serious damage to a major US city.
But the Mumbai attack seems to have changed their views.
“US cities are vulnerable to an attack like the gun-and-grenade assault that terrorised Mumbai for three days and killed 179 people,” warned Mr Wainstein.
http://www.dawn.com/2009/01/10/top12.htm
Over the past two days, more than a dozen senior US officials, lawmakers and terrorism experts discussed various scenarios for a possible terrorist attack on the United States. All pointed their fingers at Pakistan.
And these were not unnamed intelligence officials who in the past discussed such scenarios with the US media on the condition that they remained anonymous.
These were all senior officials and lawmakers -- such as Gen David H. Petraeus, the new head of the US Central Command; Ken Wainstein, the White House national security adviser; and Senator Joe Lieberman, chairman Senate Homeland and Governmental Affairs Committee. And they were all speaking on the record.
There were differences among them on the nature of the next terrorist attack on the United States, but not on its source. All agreed that the terrorists hiding in Pakistan’s tribal areas were already planning such an attack.
Before the Mumbai attacks, US officials and terrorism experts focussed on terrorists acquiring a so-called ‘dirty bomb’; a small nuclear, chemical or biological device big enough to cause serious damage to a major US city.
But the Mumbai attack seems to have changed their views.
“US cities are vulnerable to an attack like the gun-and-grenade assault that terrorised Mumbai for three days and killed 179 people,” warned Mr Wainstein.
http://www.dawn.com/2009/01/10/top12.htm
