-Caveat Lector- Militants Train for War Vs. India By AMIR ZIA .c The Associated Press MUZAFARRABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- In the mountains of Pakistan, thousands of Islamic militants are preparing for a holy war next door in India. They crawl on their bellies, plant land mines and practice marksmanship. Their enemies are the Indian soldiers trying to crush a decade-old insurgency in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir, the only Indian state that has a Muslim majority. Last week India launched its strongest assault yet on insurgents, using warplanes and helicopter gunships to pound their mountain positions along the border with Pakistan. India charges that the militants are mercenaries from Afghanistan helped by Pakistani soldiers. The Pakistani government called the accusation ``rubbish,'' and Afghan diplomats said their citizens were too busy in Afghanistan's civil war to fight elsewhere. But in the mountains that divide Kashmir between India and Pakistan, militants are training at dozens of camps on Pakistani territory. The fighters give little thought to international worries about a large-scale war erupting between longtime foes India and Pakistan, both of which exploded nuclear devices in underground tests a year ago. For the young militants in training, the war already is raging. Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi, chief of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, one of the most militant fighting groups, said there is no shortage of recruits. The mother organization of his group, Markaz-ud-Dawa-wal-Irshad, runs 2,200 religious schools across Pakistan where its students learn Islam and prepare for ``jihad,'' or holy war, he said. ``We train 600 to 700 men every month in the summer, and we have to turn many more away because we just don't have the facilities,'' said Mohammed Azam, an instructor at the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba training camp. Lakhvi, who met with a journalist on condition that the location of his hideout and training camps not be revealed, denied that Pakistan's government provides any material support for the militants. But he said authorities did not interfere with the mountain training camps. ``Only Pakistani people help mujahedeen (religious fighters) through donations, and many join their ranks for jihad against India,'' he said. Politicians in Pakistani-controlled parts of Kashmir openly acknowledge the presence of militants on their soil. A lawmaker in Pakistan's Kashmir Parliament, Mian Ghulam Rasool, said thousands were ready to cross into Indian-controlled Kashmir. ``The Indians punish us for this by pounding our villages,'' he said. ``But this is the price we have to pay for the Kashmir jihad.'' Discipline is tough at Lakhvi's camps. The men espouse a philosophy similar to the strict ways of the Taliban religious militia that controls most of neighboring Afghanistan. They preach a restrictive and austere interpretation of Islam. Most forms of light entertainment, including music and television, are banned. The men, all in untrimmed beards, don't allow photographs. They wear the traditional baggy pants and long shirt; Western clothes are forbidden. Their training includes instruction on sabotage techniques, shooting skills and hit-and-run raids as well as hours spent studying the Muslim holy book, the Koran. At one camp, 200 young militants with Kalashnikov assault rifles learned how to conduct an ambush. Metal containers were set up about 70 yards down a hill to simulate a convoy of Indian army trucks. ``Be alert, the Indian vehicles are coming. Closer. They are in range. ... Fire! Now!'' the group leader shouted. A young boy screamed ``God is great,'' and the trainees charged toward the cans, pumping bullets into the imaginary convoy below. When they reached the containers, three young men planted bombs. They raced back up the hill, firing over their shoulders as they scampered for cover. Explosions shook the forest, destroying most of the metal containers. The fighters, generally ages 17 to 25, are often from poor families and some join despite objections from their relatives. ``My parents opposed me when I decided to come here for training,'' said Wali Mohammed, 21, son of a poor day laborer in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan's part of Kashmir. ``But Indians are committing extreme atrocities on our Muslim brothers. This makes jihad mandatory for all Muslims. That's why I am here.'' Over the next three months, Mohammed, who dropped out of school before eighth grade, will learn how to raid Indian army posts, plant bombs, read maps, climb mountains and survive in the wilderness for days with neither food nor water. ``There are so many difficulties, dangers and hardships in Indian Kashmir, there is nothing except a firm faith in Allah that gives courage and motivate people to go on fighting,'' he said. DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
