The Hindu : Pakistan captures 100 `foreign' militants

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 21, 2004

International

International

Pakistan captures 100 `foreign' militants

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, MARCH 20. Pakistan has captured 100 "foreign" militants and the local Pasthuns sheltering them in Wazirstan agency on the Afghanistan border in the ongoing offensive in search of Al-Qaeda and Taliban suspects.

The Corps Commander of Peshawar, Safdar Hussain, told a group of journalists from the national capital at Wana headquarters that 400 to 500 suspected militants were trapped in a radius of 60 km and the armed forces were determined to act against them.

Lt. Gen. Hussain told the state-run Pakistan Television (PTV) that the militants were ready to surrender.

"The operation will continue as long as it is necessary. We are determined to rid the area of terrorists and their abettors."

The Director-General of Inter-Services Public Relations, Shaukat Sultan, said at least two suspected militants were killed during the day as they attempted to flee the cordon thrown by security forces. While prima facie they appeared to be foreigners, final determination of their identity would take time.

There is a great deal of speculation about the presence of senior leader or leaders of the Al-Qaeda in the area, following an interview by the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, to CNN on Thursday in which he had said that a `high value target' could be present among the surrounded militants.

Lt. Gen. Hussain told journalists at Wana that the forces believed a senior Al-Qaeda operative was present in the area.

This assessment was made on communication intercepts and the fierce resistance put up by the fighters.

Journalists were shown 40 prisoners, all blindfolded and with their hands tied, in the back of an Army truck in Wana.

The Army also displayed the body of one suspected militant wrapped in a white blanket and said it had intercepted phone conversations from within the compounds in Chechen, Uzbek and Arabic languages.

Lt. Gen. Hussain told journalists that troops were convinced that the compounds held a "high-value" target, but he said they had no confirmation that the man was Al-Zawahri.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

International

News Update

Stories in this Section

Anti-war protesters take to the streets

Narrow win for Chen; Opposition contests poll verdict

Arabs think they are worse off after Iraq war

Malaysia to go to the polls today

Karuna `whipping up regionalism'

Putin urges tough action to defend Serbs

Pakistan captures 100 `foreign' militants

U.S. drops charges against Muslim Chaplain

Clarification

Former Dutch Queen is dead

Transplant baby doing fine