LeT adds new dimension to terror threat: US

The Lashkar-e-Taiba's emergence after the 26/11 attack has added a new dimension to the terrorist threat landscape as the Pakistan-based outfit's activities have made clear its deepening commitment to undertake "bold and mass-casualty operations" against the US and Western targets, an official US report said today.

The state department's annual congressionally mandated country reports on terrorism for the year 2009 also said the core of al-Qaeda based in Pakistan continues to pose a major threat to the US.

On the Lashkar, the report said, "Since the 2008 Mumbai attack, analysts have deepening concern that it could evolve into a genuine global threat. [LeT operative David] Headley and others indicate the diversity, mobility, and versatility of self-selecting recruits whom organisations can pick to meet strategic goals.

"Organisations may set these goals, but their training resources and recruits are increasingly modular and interchangeable," the state department said.

The report also noted that Headley, an American citizen of Pakistani origin, has pleaded guilty in a US court to crimes relating to his role in the 26/11 attacks and to crimes relating to a separate plot to bomb the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten.

On al-Qaeda, the report said its core in Pakistan remained the most formidable terrorist organisation targeting the US homeland.

"It has proved to be an adaptable and resilient terrorist group whose desire to attack the United States and US interests abroad remains strong,” it said.

The US intelligence community believes that al-Qaeda is actively engaged in operational plotting against the US and continued recruiting, training, and deployment of operatives, including individuals from Western Europe and North America.

"Moreover, al-Qaeda continued to try to expand its operational capabilities by partnering with other terrorist groups, with varying degrees of success," said the report in its strategic assessment.

Noting that al-Qaeda suffered several significant setbacks in 2009, the report said the group remained under pressure in Pakistan due to Pakistani military operations aimed at eliminating militant strongholds in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).