Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf may have won acclaim for the arrest of the suspected September 11 mastermind, but it will add to his difficulties in dealing with Islamic groups, analysts said on Tuesday. The general, who seized power in a coup in 1999, now faces the challenge of reconciling rising anti-U.S. sentiment with his desire to remain a key player in the global “war on terrorism.” Suspected al Qaeda operations leader Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was arrested in Pakistan on Saturday, the biggest success yet against a network blamed for the September 11, 2001 attacks which killed about 3000 people in the United States. “I think this can be used against Musharraf,” security and political analyst Khaled Ahmed told Reuters. Ahmed said many Pakistanis were unaware of al Qaeda activities and thought the group’s members were wrongly targeted by Americans. The possibility of a U.S. attack on Iraq has also fueled anti-U.S. sentiment. Full Story
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