Post slaying of Osama bin Laden, the US has drawn up a list of five terrorists, including al-Qaeda's second-in-command Ayman al Zawahiri, Mullah Omar and Illyas Kashmiri, on whom it expects Pakistan to provide intelligence immediately and possibly target them in joint operations, according to US officials.
The list was discussed during three meetings between Pakistani and US officials in the past two weeks, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's talks with Pakistani leaders in Islamabad yesterday, ABC News quoted the US official as saying.The list also includes commander Sirajuddin Haqqani, the operating chief of Haqqani network and Atiya Abdel Rahman, the Libyan operations chief of Al Qaeda, who had emerged as a key intermediary between bin Laden and Qaeda's affiliate networks across the world.The US views the list as a test of whether Pakistan is "serious about fighting terrorists who have long enjoyed safe havens within its borders", the report said.An American source too confirmed the existence of the list to the Dawn newspaper and said the US softening its position on unilateral action against terrorists found in Pakistan was conditional."The message given to Pakistani leaders was loud and clear: you either cooperate with us on these...terrorists or we'll take care of them by ourselves," the source was quoted as saying by the newspaper. Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
