Failed Attack in New York: The Taliban Are Taking Over al-Qaida

The United States intelligence services need to go over their investigations again. Up until today, the CIA and its associates believed that the Pakistani Taliban was just a regional force, contrary to al-Qaida, their ally, whose attack perimeter covers all five continents. Two authorities of the U.S. government actually accused the Afghano-Pakistani djihadiste for having masterminded the car bomb failed attack at Times Square in New York. “We’ve now developed evidence that shows that the Pakistani Taliban was behind the attack,” declared Eric Holder, the Attorney General of Obama who went on, “We know that they helped facilitate it. We know that they probably helped finance it. And that he was working at their direction.” Faisal Shahzad is an American of Pakistani origin. Stopped for questioning on 3 May, he could have owned up to the investigators that he had attempted to detonate an off-road vehicle crammed with explosives on the corner of 45th Street and Broadway at 18:30, on May 1.

The suspect could have also admitted to having trained for bomb manufacturing in Waziristân, the tribal area in the Northwest — an area swarming with terrorists, Taliban, Al-Qaïda and others activists wreaking havoc from the Muslim Asiatic area up to the Chinese Ouïgour. Washington is convinced that the attack comes from Tehrik-e-Taliban of Pakistan (TTP), an organization born in 2007, predictably in Waziristân, where it trained fighters who take part in the insurrection against the American and international forces in Afghanistan.

The TTP is also responsible for attacks in Pakistan. Since Obama has become president, its leaders and their extremist allies, which include Al-Qaïda, are the target of increasing attacks coming from American drones. According to the American press, Faisal Shahzad was said to have referred to these assaults, causing mainly civilian deaths, to justify his attack. Obama’s antiterrorist councilor, John Brennan, went to the rescue of the Attorney General and the press by also accusing the Pakistani Taliban. The Pakistani authorities promised to collaborate in carrying out the enquiries into the failed attack at New York, though they don’t agree with the conclusions of the American authorities as for the involvement of the TTP. “The Americans think that Shahzad went to Waziristân, in the South, and met Qari Hussain and Hakimullah Mehsu. But all this is yet to be confirmed,” said the Pakistani minister of the interior, Rehman Malik, after the Washington accusations.

Both Hussain and Mehsud are leaders of the TTP. The latter, who was said to be killed by the Americans, recently appeared again on videos in which he threatened to attack the United States. The TTP is really involved in that failed attack. Anyway, these accusations will have major impacts on the way Washington will combat terrorism in the United States. According to the U.S. Attorney General, “From now on the Taliban from Pakistan have not only the ambition but also the capability to commit attacks on the American territory; from now on they have an importance in our antiterrorist fight.”* The Pakistanis have been warned — they are henceforth under high surveillance.

*Editor’s Note: This quote could not be verified.