Ilyas Kashmiri wanted to create Laskhar-e-Osama, target embassies

ISLAMABAD: Al-Qaida linked terrorist Ilyas Kashmiri was in the process of forming a new terror group called the "Laskhar-e-Osama" for carrying out reprisal attacks to avenge the killing of bin Laden. The new group was plotting a wave of suicide bombings acrossPakistan and to target embassies and diplomats, the Express Tribune newspaperreported on Monday. Kashmiri, who was reportedly killed in a dronestrike on June 3, had convened a special meeting in the Data Khel area of NorthWaziristan Agency a week ago to constitute the special squad. Thehead of the fearsome 313 Brigade of the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) calleda meeting of several Tehreek-e- Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commanders to create"Laskhar-e-Osama" which would be tasked with carrying out suicide bombingsthroughout Pakistan, including some high-profile targets, the daily said quotingreports generated by Pakistani intelligence agencies. BesidesKashmiri, TTP commanders Asmatullah Maavia, Amjad Farooqui and Badar Mansooramong others attended the meeting. The three commanders wereassigned territories to conduct bombings. While Mansoor was tasked withtargeting Lahore and southern Punjab, Farooq was told to carry out attacks inIslamabad and Azad Kashmir. Intelligence agencies were able tocollect information about the secret meeting and they were also told thatKashmiri had moved his location away from Data Khel, the daily said quotingsources.