Al-Qaeda planning to engage US in Afghanistan beyond 2011 through 'guerrilla war'

Lahore, July 5 (ANI): Al-Qaeda warlord Osama bin Laden is planning to engage the US forces in Afghanistan well beyond 2011, the year set as the deadline by President Obama to pull out from the war torn country.

According to well placed sources, Laden has asked the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other extremist groups to accelerate recruitment and training process in order to trap the American forces in Afghanistan through a well coordinated 'guerilla war'.

The Al-Qaeda chieftain's plans were revealed when Pakistani security agencies got hold of some of the operatives of the Ilyas Kashmiri Group after the brazen attack on General Headquarters in Rawalpindi in October last year.

During interrogation, the extremists disclosed that the some of the Pakistani terror groups were working closely with Al-Qaeda

"Kashmiri's operatives revealed that Harkatul Jihad-e-Islami chief Qari Saifullah Akhtar met Osama in August 2009 near the Pak-Afghan border (on the Afghan side) and sought support for the GHQ attack," The Daily Times quoted sources, as saying.

However, Laden had then rejected the request, and asked Akhtar to serve for the greater cause and fight against the US.

"Osama told Akhtar that he and other terrorist groups should serve the greater cause - jihad against America - and provide them warriors," sources claimed.

"He (Laden) wants to carry out guerrilla attacks on the US forces wherever they have bases in the region," they added.

Pakistan has already informed the Obama administration regarding Laden's nefarious plans.

"That's the reason the US has stepped up negotiations with the Taliban to weaken Al Qaeda-Taliban ties," sources said.

So far, there has been no official statement from Pakistan over the report. (ANI)