A Pakistan-based Islamic militant group fighting against Indian rule in Kashmir today claimed responsibility for the terrorist attacks in the United States.
The Lashkar-i-Taiba said its suicide bombers had hijacked jets which plunged into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon yesterday in attacks which it is feared killed thousands.
There was no way to verify the claim independently, and US officials have pointed the finger of blame at Afghan-based Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden.
"The attack was carried out by our fidayeen (suicidal group) led by commander Abu Samama,'' Lashkar spokesman Khalid Saif said in a statement faxed to AFP.
"The attacks on the World Trade Centre and other places were not an act of terrorism but an Islamic duty."
Lashkar is one of the most powerful and extreme Islamic groups fighting against Indian rule in the Himalayan state of Kashmir, which is divided between India and Pakistan but claimed by both.
Islamic militant groups operating on the Indian side of the state generally confine themselves to Indian targets and have shown little motivation to attack US interests.
AFP