US Links Pakistani Intelligence to Group Blamed for Mumbai Attacks

Lashkar-e Taiba (LeT), the group currently being blamed for last month’s Mumbai attacks, has according to the United States been quietly building up its power in recent years with the help of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.

The accusation is hardly a surprise after last week’s report that the US submitted a list of four former high-ranking ISI officials to be added to the list of international terrorists. It seemed only a matter of time before the current ISI was accused in the attacks, as they have been in other previous attacks.

Pointing the finger at the ISI, and by extension the Pakistani military, seems essential, as the attack is far larger and more organized than any previous LeT attack. US officials concede they have no hard evidence that the ISI was involved in the Mumbai attacks, but a history of ties with the LeT, who publicly condemned the attacks, seems sufficient as nations scramble to find somebody credible to blame for one of the largest terrorist attacks in Indian history.