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| Al-Qaeda sympathizers handed over to Pakistani military |
| 2004-02-23 |
| Pakistani tribesmen in the rugged semi-autonomous region bordering Afghanistan have handed over dozens of people suspected of sheltering Al-Qaeda militants, a government official said. Threatened by the prospect of a large-scale Pakistan military offensive to seize the suspects, tribal elders bowed to pressure and presented authorities with the Al-Qaeda sympathisers. "About 60 percent of those linked to al-Qaeda or working as facilitators have been handed over to the local authorities," the official told AFP. The official did not say how many suspects had been detained but security sources said earlier said authorities were looking for some 90 people accused of offering shelter to al-Qaeda and Taliban fugitives in the mountainous South Waziristan area along the eastern Afghan border. Afghan officials suspect that tribesmen in South Waziristan provide sanctuary to militants involved in attacks against the US-led coalition and Afghan forces in the Afghan provinces of Khost, Paktia and Paktika. The tribal elders handed over the accused over the past few days following a February 20 deadline given by the government last week. However, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid told AFP on Monday that "no offensive has been launched so far. Troops have been deployed in the area to plug the entry of undesired elements." |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #4 NY Times says they caught 48 of the 82 they were looking for in the current sweep, and that all these were low level guys who knew little. OTOH they report diplo and govt sources in Kabul saying Pakistan is finally really on board. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2004-2-23 12:45:29 PM |
| #3 LH, clearing out local supporters is what it looks like: Pakistan has massed more than 70,000 soldiers in the tribal area, and they are escalating their search for local Al Qaeda sympathizers before a major new assault against the terrorist network in the mountainous region, the officials said. The latest operation offers an example of what U.S. officials have described as a dramatic improvement in the level of cooperation from Pakistan in the hunt for Al Qaeda fugitives. The 70,000 soldiers include paramilitary forces, regular soldiers and specially trained commandos, said Pakistan's military spokesman, Gen. Shaukat Sultan. "They are ready and prepared for any operation at any time," he said. Pakistani troops are deployed all along the 1,500-mile border region, but their current searches are focused on two of the seven semiautonomous tribal areas, South Waziristan and North Waziristan, which have long been suspected of harboring Al Qaeda fugitives. The number of foreign Al Qaeda fighters hiding in the area can probably be counted in the dozens, military officials say. But they are helped by a far larger community of local sympathizers, including tribesmen and religious leaders who offer shelter and act as guards, facilitators, couriers and tipsters, alerting the fugitives to operations. The latest Pakistani operation is focused on identifying and detaining Al Qaeda's local collaborators to gather information about possible terrorist hideouts and to reduce the space in which the fugitives can operate, one Pakistani official said. |
| Posted by: Steve 2004-2-23 12:16:05 PM |
| #2 ...and I'm sure they'll be given a stern talking to before they're released. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2004-2-23 11:23:12 AM |
| #1 So far the tribesemen have handed over OTHER TRIBESMEN, who in turn had previously protected AQ types. A first step, I suppose, but not the same as getting any AQ types. IIUC its been some months since Pak has captured any senior AQ. None since the attacks on Musharraf. One hopes its because theyre carefully laying the groundwork, not avoiding the whole thing. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2004-2-23 10:32:39 AM |