NSG Chief names Al-Qaeda behind Mumbai terror; clarifies later

“There is growing concern over the convergence of the objectives of terrorist organisations such as al-Qaeda and LeT. The Mumbai terror attack of November 26 last year represents this convergence of interests,” Dutt said.

But Dutt’s remarks which was aired on television is reported to have not gone well with the Union Home Ministry officials on the ground it could be seen as sensationalising the attack by bringing in Al-Qaeda’s name.

Immediately,the NSG machinery swung into action for an apparent damage control. The Director General of the force himself is reported to have called the television reporters present at the seminar being held at Manesar,near here,to “issue a clarification” saying his comments were in the context of global scenario of terrorism.

The comments from Dutt,who will be demitting office this month end,came a day after a video recording showed a top Al-Qaeda commander warning India of more Mumbai-style terror attacks if it tried to attack Pakistan.

Dutt,who led the commando operation during Mumbai attacks,said: “With the resurgence of the Taliban the region astride the Durand line — the international border between Pakistan and Afghanistan — appears to be spiralling out of control as the writ of the law in the region is at best tenuous.

“The LeT has morphed from a Kashmir centric terror group to a transnational terror group that aspires to fight Jihad across the globe.”