Pakistani Troops Share in Operations Against Al-Qaeda

With additional reporting by Hosbanollah Mutawakil, IOL Pakistan correspondent

PESHAWAR, August 12 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Pakistani and Afghani security sources revealed that the Pakistani army will carry on military operations against Al-Qaeda members in Tora Bora in the white mountain west of Nangarhar state on the Pakistani borders.

The decision came as many Al-Qaeda members escaped in June after clashing with the Pakistani forces in the Pakistani city of Waziristan, injuring 11 Pakistani soldiers.

A source, who requested anonymity, told IslamOnline Sunday, August 11, that 3 battalions of the Pakistani army will participate in the military operations collaborating with the American forces.

He revealed that the Pakistani forces “are well prepared and have reached the place of the operations.” He added that the Army troops would remain in the area with the latest surveillance equipment for some time for the operations as well as transferring the supplies, utensils and fare to the area.

He added that the tribal elders, who are a part of the search team, declared their support for the Pakistani army in these operations. He also pointed out that they agreed on the American army’s participation.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani authorities, with the help of tribal elders, launched Saturday August 10, a massive search operation against suspected Al-Qaeda members hiding in the country’s tribal areas.

In addition, the News Network International (NNI) announced Sunday that “As many as convoy of 80 military vehicles including heavy canons, tanks and 8 helicopters searched the areas of Shaki, Santooli, Mantooli and Shinkai,” the tribal elders revealed.

A brigade of the Pakistan Army, contingents of Touchi Scouts and a local force known as Khasadars, a political agent, former Senator Malik Fareed Ullah and local tribal elders joined hand in hand to the official troops in search operations.

In Shaki three suspected houses where according to intelligence information some of Al-Qaeda took shelter were searched. First the political agent and Malik Farid Ullah with the tribal elders searched and later the Pakistan troops searched every inch of the house, NNI reported.

“During a day-long search operations no Al-Qaeda members have been found,” Malik Fareed said.

Before the search operation started, a meeting was held in the headquarters of Touchi Scouts in Wana where a plan of searching and hunting was finalized.

Meanwhile, the operation was kicked off after an intelligence report from FBI agents that some Al-Qaeda took shelter in the suspected houses.

The Pakistan Army troops are still searching the other areas marked and it is believed that search and hunting operations against Al-Qaeda would continue for quite sometime.

In another incident, U.S. troops rushed at the check-post of Angoor Adda (Pakistani side), asking for permission to enter Pakistani areas to search for Al-Qaeda members suspected of hiding in some houses in the area.

The Pakistani post commander however did not allow them into the area, although the Americans tried twice to enter the country’s territory.