New offensive against al-Qaeda
Pak, US forces deployed in Afghan border areas
By Behroz Khan
PESHAWAR: Pakistani and US forces have been mobilised on a large scale on both sides of the Pak-Afghan border in search of al-Qaeda and Taliban men amidst arrest of seven Afghan nomads in Khost province of Afghanistan.
Seven Gurbaz tribesmen were arrested three kilometres from the Pak-Afghan border on suspicion of having links with al-Qaeda and the Taliban. The arrests were made by US forces, local tribesmen said, adding that search for more suspects was on amid reports that troops have been rushed to the border area.
"Yesterday the US and their Afghan allies were engaged in a house-to-house search. Seven Gurbaz tribesmen were arrested and taken to an undisclosed location for questioning," eyewitnesses said.
The area, which was also heavily bombed by the US planes after the ousting of Taliban from power and the local tribesman had to shift to safer places, was used by former Taliban minister Commander Jalaluddin Haqani, wanted by the US on terrorism charges. The bombing killed 12 Afghan tribesmen, locals claimed.
It is believed that the US forces have stepped up the hunt for suspected terrorists in Gurbaz, Chargoti, Maidan and Atta Kaley in Khost most probably on the information gathered from local sources, which suggests presence of some top Taliban or al-Qaeda elements in the areas.
During the last week-long search, sources said, heavy weapons were recovered from a number of Afghans including Commander Akbar Khan of Hezb-e-Islami Afghanistan, headed by former prime minister and chief of Hezb, Gulbaddin Hikmatyar. The Hezb chief is also wanted by the US on charges of terrorism.
Reports gathered from across the border suggest that American forces have also increased their presence in the Argon district of Paktika province while search for suspected terrorists has been expanded to Khost city and its suburbs, sources said. Taliban have claimed taking control of several districts in Zabul province. However, the claim could not be verified form independent sources.
Zabul is proving to be the most troubled province where the Taliban have increased attacks on government installations and patrolling US forces. Meanwhile, Muhammad Azam Khan, political agent South Waziristan Agency, has denied that more Pakistani troops have been deployed in the border areas with Afghanistan saying sufficient force was already present in these areas and there was no need for sending more.
He did not rule out launching another operation to hunt for suspected terrorists, but could not give a deadline. He said only Khasadar force and paramilitary troopers would be engaged in the operation and the government could also decide to send the army if needed.
The administration has also warned tribesmen not to use vehicles with tinted glasses. Those violating the orders would be jailed for three years and their vehicles would be forfeited and Rs 50,000 fine would be imposed. Azam also disclosed that the tribal Lashkar has so far handed over 49 out of the 82 wanted tribesman to the administration. "Five to six of them have been released after being found innocent," he said adding the Joint Interrogation Team was interrogating the rest of them.
Agencies add: "We have built up enough pressure on these people and we should not let this pressure ease. These people are on the run and we are also determined to end this menace once and for all," said Azam Khan.
The US military has also said it will launch a spring offensive against rebels in Afghanistan in what could be part of a concerted effort to find Osama bin Laden. A brigade of Pakistan Army is already in the tribal region of Waziristan where for weeks the authorities have been pressuring tribesmen to stop sheltering al-Qaeda suspects and Taliban fighters.
On Saturday, political authorities governing the semi-autonomous tribal regions asked for 8,000 paramilitary soldiers to add to the 4,000 already deployed. "We have asked for additional paramilitary troops," Azam Khan told Reuters. "We have one full brigade from the regular Pakistan Army, but we would like to use them only as a back-up force."
An intelligence source told Reuters paramilitary Frontier Corps had been beefed up in parts of Balochistan to nab any militants trying to escape the operation in Waziristan. Witnesses in Wana, capital of South Waziristan, said paramilitary scouts were digging trenches along the main road, preparing for battle, while armed checkposts were also being set up on main routes to prevent militants from escaping.
Political authorities, which deal with the fiercely independent and well-armed tribesmen, had asked tribal leaders to surrender more than 80 clan members, wanted for harbouring or assisting al-Qaeda militants.
So far more than 40 tribesmen have been handed over by local leaders, but authorities say they have lost patience with tribal elders after several key suspects escaped.
"We have the option to go into action to do the job ourselves after the deadline," Pakistan military spokesman Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan told AFP. The focus of the manhunt is South Waziristan where many fugitives suspected of involvement in attacks against the US-led coalition and Afghan forces in the Afghan provinces of Khost, Paktia and Paktika are hiding.
Sultan said the army was deployed "all over the tribal area" and "is ready to conduct an operation whenever there is a requirement to do so".A spokesman of Inter Services Public Relations contradicted a news item attributed to the political agent that the civil administration of the tribal areas has sought more deployments of paramilitary troops.
He said the political agent did not issue any such statement and has been quoted out of context. In no way the movement of troops at this moment indicates that any operation is being carried out in the area, he added.
"Our rapid action forces are there, they have sealed the border," Information Minister Sheikh Rashid told AFP. "No one is allowed to come in from Afghanistan, it is a continued process," he said.
Rashid said the deployment of Army in Wana was a precautionary step. "The troops have moved into Wana area swiftly and this deployment has been made as a precautionary measure", he told journalists after presiding over a seminar on Josh Maleehabadi at the Academy of Letters.
These troops, he said, have been deployed on the Pakistani land and they would operate on country’s soil. "Neither they will join any other country’s force nor any other country’s force will join them," he stated.
The minister said this operation is not any individual specific but it is a part of the Pakistan’s commitment to the international community against terrorism. These troops, he said, would also launch search operation of the unwanted elements who had earlier sneaked into Pakistan by illegally crossing the border and were hiding in the dens.
Answering a question, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said, the US had not provided any satellite pictures of al-Qaeda leaders, including Osama or al-Zawahiri to Pakistan. Rashid said the deployment does not mean that a big operation is in the offing.
He said the government had given a deadline of February 20 to the tribals to hand over terrorists hiding there. "However, about 50 of them have so far been surrendered and the government is determined that remaining are also handed over by the tribal elders to the authorities," he added.
When asked about the number of troops in the fresh deployments, he said, these are sufficient to meet the security requirements in the area. The minister said the US forces would never enter Pakistan. "We have sealed the border," he added. |
