Word: aqeel
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...Aqeel, also known as Dr. Usman, was already wanted for earlier terrorist attacks. He acquired his medical nom de guerre due to his 16 years as a nurse in the army's medical corps. In 2004, he abandoned the army to join Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), a vicious sectarian terror group from Punjab. "He knew how the army functions," says Shaukat Qadir, a retired brigadier turned analyst. "That's why he organized this attack better than others could have done." The embarrassing breach of the heavily fortified headquarters was made possible through artful disguise, military officials said. The vehicle bore...
...terrorists were "well-equipped with automatic weapons, IEDs, mines, grenades and suicide jackets," said Major General Abbas. After a 45-minute firefight at a checkpoint, Aqeel and his six surviving colleagues took 45 hostages, including several civilians. Taking sanctuary in a security office near the main gate, Aqeel issued a lengthy list of demands. The hostages would only be safe, he threatened, when some 100 terrorists currently in Pakistani custody were released. Other demands included an end to "American bases" inside Pakistan and that former military ruler and President, General Pervez Musharraf, be placed on trial. (See pictures...
...During the tense, overnight standoff at the military's headquarters over the weekend, Aqeel tried to appeal to his former army comrades. "They were trying to profess their own cause," said Major General Abbas. "They were trying to justify their own actions." In reply, hostage army officers tried to convince him that he was "on the wrong side." As dawn rose over the 100-year-old British-built army garrison, an élite unit of commandos surrounded the small room where the hostages were being held. At 6 a.m., they launched a 45-minute operation that saw fierce cross fire...
...Aqeel had managed to shift to another part of the building, carrying a bag of explosives. The commandos followed. At 9 a.m., in an apparent attempt to commit suicide, he set off the explosives, injuring himself and five commandos. His injuries were severe but he was captured alive. The hope is that Aqeel, who was earlier suspected of being behind the March attack on the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team in the heart of Lahore, may prove crucial in unearthing the elaborate network of terror cells that are suspected to be seeded throughout Punjab. (See pictures of the deadly attack...
...Before the attack on the Sri Lankan team, Aqeel's group had already won a fearsome reputation as al-Qaeda's foot soldiers in Pakistan and pioneered the terrorist attacks that have now become depressingly common. An offshoot of the Pakistani anti-Shi'ite Sipah-e-Sahaba militant group, LeJ gained notoriety in 1998 after attempting to assassinate then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. After al-Qaeda leadership arrived along the Afghan border, LeJ underwent a transformation, says militancy expert Rana. "They developed a nexus with foreign militants there. In many major attacks, LeJ was involved, including the killing...