Peshawar, Dec.9 (ANI): The Tehreek-e-Taliban and other warlords in Pakistan's remote tribal regions have said that they are determined to cut off supply lines for NATO and US forces through Pakistan's Khyber Pass by the end of 2008.

After Baitullah Mehsud, now a little known warlord, Mustafa Kamal Kamran 'Hijrat' from Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, has taken it upon himself to fulfill what Mehsud had promised almost two years back.

"I am interested in one thing and that is no supplies for NATO and American forces go through the Khyber Pass," the Afghan warlord who served as a district governor during the Taliban rule told a group of journalists last week at an undisclosed location in the Khyber tribal region.

On two consecutive nights (December 7 and 8), militants destroyed 200 NATO supply trucks lodged inside terminals in Peshawar.

Supplies to the troops, however, continue. But a former security chief in the Tribal Areas was quoted by the Daily Times as saying: "I think the attacks on NATO supplies will result in further bad name for Pakistan, but I don't think the Khyber Pass will be completely out of the government's control."

Brigadier (retired) Mehmood Shah, former FATA security chief, said the importance of this route would increase with a hike in US forces in Afghanistan next month despite Russia's willingness to allow non-military supplies for the coalition forces through its territory.

Around 70 percent supplies for the NATO and US forces transit from Karachi seaport through Khyber - the shorter and cheaper route for the UN-sanctioned western forces in Kabul.

"This route will continue to provide important supplies for the NATO and other forces in Afghanistan and Pakistan should take every possible step to make it safer," Mehmood Shah told Daily Times.

Observers believe the NATO and the US would wait before they make a final decision on the route's viability. (ANI)

Lahore, Dec.9 (ANI): A Lashkar-e-Taiba coordinator has said that the arrest of at least 20 Jamaat-ud-Dawa activists, including the purported mastermind of the Mumbai terror attacks, Zaki-u-Rehman Lakhvi, on the outskirts of Muzaffarabad, will not stop the militant outfit from continuing with its activities.

"We are still well-organized and active," the Washington Times quoted the Lashkar coordinator, as saying during an interaction at a safe house near Lahore. The Lashkar fighter in Lahore said the group has "huge strength" and is concentrated in Pakistan's tribal areas on the border with Afghanistan. He ran his fingers through his bushy beard as he sat in a dingy room for the interview, surrounded by boys' ages 15 to 20 that listened intently as he spoke.

The man stood uncomfortably against the wall throughout the interview, his eyes avoiding contact with the interviewer.

"The Lashkar definitely has the capability and the capacity to conduct attacks such as those which took place in Mumbai," said Rasool Baksh Raees, a political science professor at the Lahore University of Management Sciences.

The Lashkar organizer denied that the group had to purchase recruits.

"Young boys come to us usually because their friends have convinced them, because they believe jihad is the epitome of being a good Muslim or because their families are involved," he said.

Sharmeen Obaid, a filmmaker who has covered jihadists in Pakistan extensively, said that selling boys into jihad is a common practice.

"It´s happening more and more nowadays as people become more desperate for money in Pakistan," she said.

"After the [2007 Kashmir] earthquake when a large number of children became orphans, I was told that a number of them were sold to organizations such as Lashkar," she added.

She said the price for one recruit could range from 10,000 to 19,000 dollars.

"Sufi shrines and mosques are usual meeting grounds for young boys," the Lashkar organizer said.

However, Yahya Muhammed, a spokesman for Lashkar-e-Taiba, has denied that the organization has training camps.

"The Jamaat-ud-Dawa was formed in 1986, while the Lashkar-e-Taiba was formed in 1986 and our main aim was to help our Kashmiri brothers," he said. (ANI)

New Delhi, Dec 9 (ANI): Former President and father of nuclear technology of India APJ Abdul Kalam has said that it is time that the UN action of counter terrorism is intensified creating a new counter terrorism force.

Addressing a gathering here last evening Kalam emphasised on the need of a unified force to counter terrorism across the globe.

"It is time that the UN action of counter terrorism is intensified as the global mission to tackle terrorism from any part of the planet is increasing and including a counter terrorism force," said Kalam.

He further added that the economic and technological development of a country is dependant on its security and safety of its citizen. Therefore, the need to counter terrorism increases much more.

"Terrorism waged against the people of Mumbai and similarly activities of the crime of highest order. Such type of crime are menace from people who have been injected and nurtured with ideologies from fundamentalist organizations of the nation," he said. (ANI)

Washington, Dec.9 (ANI): US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said that the Pakistani establishment has had historic ties with Lashkar-e-Taiba, although now it's committed to fighting them.

In an interview to CNN on Sunday evening, Rice read out a charge-sheet against the Lashkar, spelling out the reasons for taking action against the group which, she said, was not only involved in the Mumbai attacks but also moved in "the same circles" as Al Qaeda.

"Well, there have been historic ties. There's no doubt about that," the Dawn quoted Rice as saying when asked if Lashkar leaders were trained and supported by Pakistani intelligence agencies.

But she quickly added that she believed Pakistan was no more involved with the group.

"Pakistan is a different place now with a civilian government and an army leadership that is working in concert to try to bring an end to extremism within Pakistan," she said.

"We have to remember that Pakistan itself has been suffering at the hands of extremism. So whatever the history here - and there is a history - the important thing is that Pakistan act against those who used Pakistani soil to perpetrate attacks," she added.

"I think there's no doubt that Pakistani territory was used by probably non-state actors. I don't think that there is compelling evidence of involvement of Pakistani officials. But I do think that Pakistan has a responsibility to act, and it doesn't matter that they're non-state actors. There were problems with this from Pakistani territory. There are historic problems from Pakistani territory in this regard," she said.

Secretary Rice also said that when she visited Islamabad last week she "emphasised to the Pakistani government" that Americans were also killed in this attack and the US government had "a special interest" in this matter because of that.

Rice dismissed a suggestion that President Asif Ali Zardari might not have complete control over all elements of his military and intelligence services. (ANI)