Musharraf steps up terror fight

Prayers are offered for the 11 French Naval engineers killed in a suicide bombing during a memorial ceremony on Saturday.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has called off a three-nation trip so he can personally oversee a national "fight against terrorism," the government says.

In a statement quoted by the official APP news agency, the government said Musharraf's May 15-21 trip to Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia -- first announced only on Friday -- was put off "on account of the recent terrorist attacks in Pakistan."

The cancellation comes as Musharraf also announced the establishment of an anti-terrorist task force to root out criminals operating in Pakistan.

The President said a special investigation force to combat terrorism would be formed and a Forensic Science Agency would be established at the cost of $20 million.

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Pakistan's current forensic facilities are limited, with only one center to service the entire country. The equipment is antiquated and the staff poorly trained.

A crackdown on illegal immigrants to Pakistan would also begin.

According to the APP, Musharraf said, "We want to curb the menace of terrorism. The staff would be given training in modern skills to track down the culprits involved in such heinous crimes."

On the decision to cancel the state visit, the government said Musharraf wanted to remain in Pakistan to "provide personal guidance and leadership to the nation's fight against terrorism, both international and domestic."

The announcements come three days after a suicide car bomb attack in Karachi killed 14 people, including 11 Frenchmen.

The government statement quoted Musharraf as saying his government was "determined to protect the life and property of every Pakistani and of every foreigner living in Pakistan.

"It was with this resolve that President Musharraf decided to stay at home as the federal and provincial law-enforcement machinery puts up a massive and coordinated effort to track down terrorists," it said.

More than 400 Islamic militants have been arrested since the latest suicide bombing.

Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda, and Islamic militants in Pakistan linked to his terrorist network, are the leading suspects in the case, Associated Press reports.

FBI assistance

The French victims were building a second Agosta submarine, which Pakistan had purchased from France.

Michel Debacq, the head of the French anti-terrorism section of the state prosecutor's office, has been sent to Karachi to help in the search for clues into the suicide bombing, French officials said Saturday.

Debacq will supervise investigators of the DST, France's internal security service, who are working with Pakistani experts in the investigation.

Investigators from the United States, including the FBI, also are assisting in the probe.

The Pakistan government has already offered a $33,000 reward for the arrest of three men believed to have purchased the vehicle used in the bombing and sketches of the three men are being circulated.