Rawalpindi attack: Concern over JeM-Taliban partnership

Washington, Dec.5 (ANI): Friday's gruesome suicide attack on a mosque in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, in which about 40 people were killed, including two military generals, has raised concerns about terror groups such as the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) joining hands with the Taliban.

The attack on a mosque has worried officials and analysts, who believe that this new terror friendship could have a catastrophic effect.

"The sanctity of a mosque doesn't matter much to Jaish-e-Mohammad (a Punjab-based militant group), given their history of sectarian violence," said Dr. Rifaat Hussain, a defense analyst at Islamabad's Quaid-e-Azam University.

Dr. Hussain pointed out that Friday's attack, along with the attack on the Pakistani naval headquarters earlier, clearly reflects that the extremists were determined to attack 'secondary targets' associated with the security forces because they are less fortified.

"The object is to weaken the morale of the military and their families, and such attacks are likely to become more frequent," The Christian Science Monitor quoted, Dr. Hussain, as saying.

However, Shaukat Qadir, a retired Pakistan Army brigadier said that the tactics of carrying out attacks against these 'secondary targets' may backfire, as each of these attacks would only enhance the moral to counter and dismantle the terror network.

"Each successive attack has in fact served to cement the morale, we are more determined to get rid of people from our midst who are causing this kind of damage," Qadir said. (ANI)