India warns Gulf states of al Qaeda threat

Dubai, Dec 9: India has warned the Gulf states of fresh Al Qaida attacks. Citing Indian intelligence reports, India's National security adviser Mr M K Narayanan told a security conference in Bahrain that Gulf Arab states were highly vulnerable to terror threats adding that Al Qaida operatives were now targeting high profile politicians, the Gulf News reported today.

He said the terror group was recruiting new terrorists from 14 countries and that new Al Qaida training schools had been set up near the Afghan-Pakistan border.

Mr Narayanan also warned that economic infrastructure in the Gulf region, such as oil pipelines and storage depots, were at risk. He further added that the recruits were being given rigorous training on what he called ''asymmetric war techniques'' or the practice of attacking a powerful enemy's weak points.

UNI