Posted by
Darko Trifunovic on Saturday, December 13, 2008 1:27:04 PM
Mumbai suspect 'trained Bosnia fighters'
From correspondents in Banja Luka, Bosnia-Hercegovina
December 12, 2008 05:22am
A
LEADER of Lashkar-e-Taiba, suspected in the Mumbai attacks, took part
in the training of Islamic fighters and police in Bosnia in the 1990s,
a terrorist expert said today.
"Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi
participated in Bosnia's war," Dzevad Galijasevic, an independent
expert, said, referring to the leader who has been detained by Pakistan.
"He was a commander of the Pakistani section of the (Bosnian army)
El-Mujahed unit" notorious for criminal activities, Mr Galijasevic
said, adding he had obtained the information from "various official
sources".
"Lakhvi was in Bosnia in 1994 and immediately after the war in 1996
and 1997 when he took part in the training of police forces in central
Bosnia.
"It was official training so evidence about it can be found in police archives," he said.
Police declined to immediately comment on Mr Galijasevic's allegations.
Pakistan confirmed yesterday it had arrested Lakhvi and another suspected leader of the group, Zarar Shah.
The two men have both been named by Indian media as key planners of the devastating attacks in Mumbai in which 172 people died.
Hundreds of fighters from Islamic countries joined the mainly Bosnian Muslim army during the 1992-1995 war.
Under a peace deal, they were ordered to leave, but some stayed on
after obtaining Bosnian citizenship, mainly by marrying local women.
Mr Galijasevic could not say whether Lakhvi also obtained a Bosnian passport.
Bosnia came under the spotlight after the September 11, 2001 attacks
in the United States due to the presence of ex-Islamic fighters,
locally known as mujahedeens.