Pakistani troops backed by helicopter gunships and fighter jets carried out a hunt for militants and faced little resistance as they converged on a cluster of suspected Al-Qaeda hide-outs and a training facility in a remote tribal region near Afghanistan, officials said yesterday
| That'd mean they've beat it... |
A US military official said American forces in Afghanistan were closely following the action, and ready to move against any militants who attempted to flee across the border The offensive focused on three Al-Qaeda-linked compounds â a training facility, a safe house, and the home of an alleged terror financier â near the town of Shakai, about 25 kilometers west of Wana, the largest town in South Waziristan. The operation continued yesterday after Pakistani forces used artillery and helicopter gunships the day before against rebels near Shakai. Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan told The Associated Press that troops looking for rebels searched mountain hide-outs near Shakai yesterday, aided by helicopters and fighter jets. No arrests were reported. Sultan said Pakistani troops and the militants exchanged sporadic gunfire throughout the day yesterday. There was no word on either side of fresh casualties
| Contact with the rear guard, while the important guys make it to North Waziristan... |
Rehmatullah Yargulkhel, a tribal elder living in Wana, told AP by telephone that he saw planes and helicopters flying toward Shakai and heard artillery coming from the area. But it was quiet by evening. In Kabul, the Afghan capital, US military spokesman Lt. Col. Tucker Mansager said American forces were in âvery close contactâ with their Pakistani counterparts and sharing information.
| I'd guess that's where the targeting data. Inter-Services Intelligence isn't very good at actual intelligence... |
âWe maintain a very robust presence on that portion of the border in anticipation that any anti-coalition militants that might try to escape the Pakistani Army across the border,â Mansager told reporters. He said American forces had seen âno particular increase so farâ in the movement of suspected militants across the border since the Pakistani operation began. âBut weâre more than ready for it if it comes.â
| I doubt they'll head to Afghanistan. More likely they're just relocating a few miles north, sheltering with some other tribe that loves them just as deeply as the Akhmedzai... |
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