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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| 15 truckloads of ammo found at al-Qaeda madrassa in North Waziristan |
| 2005-09-15 |
| PAKISTAN has busted the biggest al-Qaeda base in the tribal zone of North Waziristan and recovered 15 truckloads of arms and ammunition in a swoop that will cut violence in neighbouring Afghanistan before key elections, a general said today. The militant den was in a madrassa, or Islamic school, and a nearby compound owned by the son of a former minister of the hardline Taliban regime that ruled Afghanistan until late 2001, Lieutenant General Safdar Hussain said. He said the owner, Sirajuddin Haqqani, whom he described as a senior al-Qaeda insurgent, managed to escape from a nearby hideout which was also raided. "The raid on the Haqqani madrassa and compound is still going on but we can say we have busted the biggest Al-Qaeda terrorist den in North Waziristan," Lt-Gen Hussain, who commands troops in northwestern Pakistan, said. The general first gave details about the raid, during which 21 militants were arrested, on Tuesday, but this was first time he revealed the scale of the suspected hideout. "We have recovered 15 truckloads of ammunition and weapons from there and arms and ammunition are still being recovered," he said. He said 11 of those arrested were foreigners. "Naturally it will reduce violence in Afghanistan," he said. "We also busted a communications centre which was used to coordinate operations in Afghanistan." Lt-Gen Hussain said the border between the countries had been completely sealed and 763 guard posts had been established to prevent militants moving from Pakistan to Afghanistan. On the day of the elections, Pakistan would conduct "extensive air surveillance with helicopters", he said. However Afghanistan had only set up 120 posts on the border, he said. "They need to do more to stop infiltration," he said. Lt-Gen Hussain said Pakistani forces had killed 353 militants in the tribal areas since March 2004, including 175 foreigners such as Uzbeks, Tajiks, Turkmens, Chechens and a few Arabs. Nearly 270 Pakistani troops have also died and more than 670 have been wounded, some losing limbs. Haqqani's father, Jalaluddin Haqqani, was a former anti-Soviet fighter who later served as the Taliban's minister for frontier regions. He has not been found since the Taliban fled. Lt-Gen Hussain said an official who tipped off Sirajuddin Haqqani and allowed him to escape had been arrested. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #4 Lt-Gen Hussain said the border between the countries had been completely sealed In other news, a Pakistani Lieutenant General has reported his lips to have completely fallen off! An investigation is pending. |
| Posted by: Baba Tutu 2005-09-15 21:26 |
| #3 no peace till the infidels are out of the Philipines and Thailand! |
| Posted by: macofromoc 2005-09-15 11:54 |
| #2 There's no al-Qaeda in Pakistan! And when I say none, it means there's more than I care to admit... Gen. Musharref |
| Posted by: Spot 2005-09-15 08:29 |
| #1 Pshaw. Just stocking up for the PakiWakiLand Wedding Season. The furriner's are wedding planners and gift registry consultants. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-09-15 08:13 |