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Pak tribesmen to hand over suspects sheltering al-Qaeda

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Islamabad, Jan 12, IRNA -- Tribesmen in Pakistan`s tribal region, 
which borders Afghanistan, assured authorities on Monday to hand over 
those locals who have allegedly sheltered suspected al-Qaeda suspects.
The local administration in the semi-autonomous South Waziristan 
had set a deadline on Monday to the tribesmen to turn those over to 
the authorities who were hiding what the government described as 
`foreign terrorists`. 
The military crackdown in Waziristan started in the early hours of
Thursday morning following intelligence reports that some suspected 
foreign militants were hiding in the mountains near Waziristan`s main 
town of Wana. 
South Waziristan, which borders Afghanistan`s Paktika province, 
has remained a hub of al-Qaeda and Taleban activity for quite some 
time. 
Elders of the Ahmed Zai tribe assured the authorities on Monday 
that they will hand over the wanted tribesmen to the government within
a week. 
Local correspondents say elders of the tribe told the authorities 
that they will organize small groups to take action against those who 
would be identified by the government. 
The elders told reporters in Wana that they would not allow 
foreigners to use their soil against any other country. 
Head of the local administration Muhammad Azam Khan told the 
elders that the government will not show any flexibility if the 
tribesmen did not honor commitment to hand over the wanted men. 
Afghan and US officials say the border areas in Pakistan have been
a hub of activity for members of Afghanistan`s ousted Taleban regime 
and Osama Bin Laden`s al-Qaeda. 
Religious leaders in the countries have opposed the military 
operation and alleged that the operation has been launched under US 
pressure. 
Pakistan Monday said there was no pressure from the United States 
for launching a major operation against suspected al-Qaeda militants. 
"We do not yield to any foreign pressure and the operation is 
driven by our own interests," Foreign Office Spokesman Masood Khan 
said in Islamabad. 
Four Pakistani soldiers were killed when a `stray` rocket hit an 
Army camp in the area last month. 
None of the suspected militants have been found but some local 
tribesmen had been detained. 
Last year, the Pakistani military carried out two major operations
in the area. 
The fiercest one was in October, when eight suspected militants 
and two troops were killed. 
One of the people killed was later identified as Hasan Mahsum, a 
leader of a Chinese militant movement. 
Since early last year, the Pakistani military authorities have 
kept the entire tribal region of South Waziristan under siege, as 
there are suspicions that some high-ranking al-Qaeda militants may be 
hiding in the area. 
TK/TSH/AH/210 
End