|
Pakistani forces attack Shin Warsak
Thousands of Pakistani army reinforcements joined a major offensive today in tribal border villages where al-Qaeda's No. 2 leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, is believed surrounded, while Afghan authorities reported the arrests of midlevel terrorist leaders on their side of the border.
Townspeople said heavy guns fired through the night and jet fighters were visible in the area, as fighting spread today to two more villages in South Waziristan, where Pakistani paramilitary forces began an operation against al-Qaeda and Taliban fugitives four days ago. Helicopter gunships fired rockets at houses in Shin Warsak, nine kilometers (five miles) southwest of the main town of Wana, said the villagers, who were streaming out of the besieged region in pickup trucks loaded with families and possessions. "More people are moving than I could imagine," said Rahman Wazir, a 25-year-old man who runs a telephone call box in Wana, where the market was eerily quiet. "Men and women are crying. They have left their homes and they have left their orchards." Residents reported seeing scores of army trucks, carrying troops and weapons, including light artillery and heavy machine-guns, and some armored vehicles. Army troops took up positions on rooftops of private homes to provide security for the convoy of troops moving from Wana to the target areas. U.S. national security adviser Condoleezza Rice said a "fierce battle was raging" but the United States did not have any independent confirmation that al-Zawahiri is surrounded. Asked if the United States was dismissing the Pakistani claim, she said, "no, not at all. I think the Pakistanis know their business." Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, also responded cautiously, but added al-Zawahri's capture would be a major victory. "By itself it's not going to stop plots that are already under way," Myers told CNN. "But when you take the head off an organization it's obviously going to have an impact." Meanwhile, a spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai said U.S. and Afghan troops have captured "semi-senior" terrorist leaders along the border with Pakistan, as they tightened security along the rugged frontier.
Presidential spokesman Jawed Ludin said it was unclear if those detained had fled the battle in Pakistan, and declined to give any details of who might be in custody. "Some of the arrests have included semi-senior leadership within the terrorist elements on the Afghan side, possibly with strong links to al-Qaida," he told AP in Kabul. A Taliban spokesman, Abdul Samad, told AP in a phone interview that both al-Zawahri and bin Laden are alive and hiding inside Afghanistan, far from the Pakistani guns. "Muslims of the world - don't worry about them, these two guests. they are fine," he said. Villagers around Wana reported a lull in the fighting this afternoon, amid reports that tribal elders were attempting to mediate with local authorities and establish a cease-fire. A noon deadline to surrender passed without further fighting.
Posted by: Dan Darling 2004-03-19 |
|||
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=28588 |