41 Killed, 100 Nabbed In Anti-Terrorist Operation In Pak

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Corps Commander Peshawar Lt Gen Safdar Hussain told a press briefing in Wana on Saturday that three non-Pakistanis were killed during the day and 100 suspects were nabbed. Forty suspects packed in a truck were shown to journalists.

Safdar said a "high-value" terrorist target remains encircled and is likely being protected by seasoned Uzbek and Chechen fighters. But he said it is uncertain if Osama bin Laden’s Egyptian deputy Ayman al-Zawahri, or another terrorist is among the militants encircled in Pakistan’s largest-ever anti-terror drive. "He is most probably a Chechen or Uzbek because all the intercepts we have been receiving have been in the Chechen or Uzbek language," Lt-Gen Safdar told reporters.

The operation in the arid, rugged terrain of South Waziristan raged into its fifth day, but there was little sign that some 400 to 500 foreign militants and local tribesmen were succumbing to a thunderous barrage of artillery by night and Cobra helicopter gunship fire during the day.

Lt-Gen Safdar said between 5,000 and 6,000 troops were deployed in the operation, conducted across a more than 60 sq kilometre swathe of territory about 15 kilometres from the Afghan frontier. About 2,500 of them were fighting the militants and the rest conducting searches, he said

"I would not rule out any possibility, but with this level of resistance, even after 48 hours (of the latest bombardment), I believe the high-value target is still there," Safdar told journalists.

He said the militants were a blend of foreigners and members of the local Yargul Khel tribe, which he condemned for siding with terrorists, vowing to "flush them out" in what would be the first of a series of military operations to clear the lawless tribal region of militants.

The arrival of a 150-member tribal Jirga, which had the blessings of NWFP Governor, Lt-Gen (retd) Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah, in Wana on Saturday raised hopes of a ceasefire. In fact, the artillery shelling and strafing by helicopter gunships stopped for a couple of hours after 4 pm. It brought sighs of relief for the people, many of whom were displaced by the fighting.

However, the occasional firing of artillery and mortar guns resumed later in the evening. Still it was a lot less than the continued shelling and rocketing the previous nights.

The tribal elders who formed the Jirga told reporters in Wana that their first task was to arrange a ceasefire. They said ceasefire was needed to create the right conditions for the Jirga to start its work and enable both sides to retrieve bodies for burial and arrange medical treatment for the injured. Some of the Jirga members expressed concern over the suffering of the common people.

The problems that the Jirga was likely to encounter and the challenges confronting government forces was highlighted by the militants’ defiance and their fierce resistance to the Pakistan Army and the paramilitary forces.

A spokesman for Nek Mohammad, the most wanted man in South Waziristan, was quoted saying from an undisclosed location that he and his fellow fighters would not surrender. He maintained that there was no cordon despite the military’s claims. He said his men were resisting the army because it had attacked their homes and was killing innocent tribals.

The spokesman, in his rare satellite phone call, denied the presence of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden or Dr Ayman al-Zawahri in the area. He said there were some foreigners there but they were "mujahideen" who in the past had fought for the glory of Islam. He claimed 75 soldiers and militiamen were killed in the fighting and another 12 troops, along with two Tehsildars, were made prisoners. Besides, he said 18 military vehicles were seized and burnt in the fighting.

Reports said 12 bodies of troops killed in action on March 16 and 19 were brought to the Army Colony in Ziaray Noor on Saturday. They were identified as Major Saqib, Akbar Jan, Said Hasan, Adnan, Ali Akbar, Jilani, Fayyaz, Haq Nawaz, Zahoor Khan, Latif, Luqman Zeb and Afghan. The military has yet to confirm this report. All of them were stated to be commandoes. Six of them were killed in Shin Warsak, four in Kalosha and two in Zha Ghundai.

Three other bodies were also delivered the Army Colony in Ziaray Noor. Sources said they were all Wazir tribesmen who were fighting alongside the militants. According to tribal sources, the ground troops were closing in on the militants’ positions after pounding the area with artillery and mortar guns and from the air with helicopter gunships.

House to house search was being carried out to arrest suspects, flush out militants and seize weapons. Forty men arrested from the villages were brought to Wana in presence of a group of foreign and Pakistani journalists who were flown from Islamabad on Saturday.

Helicopter gunships on Saturday attacked homes and vehicles of suspects in Dhog, Dabkot, Ghalje and Karikot village, all located near Wana. The helicopters, which were getting refuelled at a place in the Frontier Region Jandoola, flew in significant numbers throughout the day and frequently attacked targets.

It also hit the wrong targets - like a wagon that was reportedly transporting a family from Zha Ghundai to a safer place. A young, wailing woman sitting beside the charred remains of the vehicle told reporters that 13 members of her family were killed in the attack. They included two children aged three and five months.

More than a dozen homes were hit in other villages. Two Afghan refugees walking to safety in Karikot village were also fired at from a helicopter and injured. A woman walking with them escaped unhurt.

Tribesmen complained that several vehicles carrying civilians had also been attacked on suspicion that militants were trying to escape. Hundreds of families were seen walking on foot to safety due to non-availability of vehicles or on account of their inability to pay the high fare demanded by the drivers.