10 suspects held in Miranshah
Security forces arrested 10 suspected militants during a search operation west of North Waziristanâs regional headquarters on Thursday, said a military spokesman.
Hundreds of soldiers, backed by helicopters, surrounded a village in Dattakhel area after intelligence reports pointed out a possible hideout for militants. The operation started late Wednesday evening and ended at 1pm on Thursday with the arrest of 10 suspects whom military spokesman Maj Gen Shaukat Sultan described as âlocals and some Afghansâ.
Sources told Daily Times that the areas of Madakhel, Khadarkhel and Mayzar, 25 kilometres west of Miranshah, were searched. A tribal elder in Miranshah said the suspects did not resist the operation. The latest search operation came a week after military said it had busted the biggest Al-Qaeda base near Miranshah.
âTroops in around 100 vehicles cordoned off the areas to hunt for militants after a series of rocket attacks,â they said. Gen Sultan said the troops also seized weapons and ammunition during the operation. Quoting an official source, AFP reported that a soldier was injured when the convoy came under fire from unknown gunmen.
Posted by: Dan Darling 2005-09-23 |