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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Ayman and Junior not amongst those arrested in Wana |
| 2004-03-09 |
| Pakistan Monday announced formally that none of the high profile militants belong to al-Qaeda or Taliban among the 20 arrested in an operation at WanaâSouth Waziristan conducted last month. Major General Shoukat Sultan, Director General Inter Services Public Relations, while talking to NNI on telephone said, âAiman Al-Zawaheri or his son Khalid Al-Zawaheri were not among those arrested in the operation of February 24, conducted by Pakistanâs troops in Wana.â Pakistan Army and paramilitary troops jointly undertook an operation against the militants of foreign origin hiding in some houses some 25 kilometers in the South of Wana, a tribal area of Pakistan bordering to Afghanistan. The official announcement on February 24 revealed that some 20 including three foreign women were arrested in the operation. Immediate after the operation, there was a rumor suggesting that the son of Aiman Al-Zawaheri--top lieutenant of Osama bin Laden was among the captured. Another rumor suggested that three foreign women belong to some Arab country and among them a wife of Aiman Al-Zawaheri was also booked by Pakistani authorities. However, Major General Shoukat Sultan and also Foreign Office Spokesman, Masood Khan did not confirm about the arrest of wife of Al-Zawaheri. âThese foreign women arrested are being taking care by the lady police officials of Pakistan,â Gen Sultan said earlier. When asked Gen Sultan to tell about the identification of those arrested in an operation at Wana, he said, âwell none of them was of high profile status in al-Qaeda or Taliban.â |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |