US troops carry out search operation in Pakistan's tribal region
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Islamabad, Jan 7, IRNA--Two US choppers, carrying American troops, reportedly intruded into the Pakistani tribal territory of North Waziristan Agency (NWA), bordering Afghanistan, and abducted three nomads, local media reported on Wednesday.
Quoting tribal sources The News reported that two American choppers landed at the Bange Dar village in North Waziristan Monday night and carried out a brief search operation in the village. They detained three nomads and took them along to the neighbouring country.
he sources said that the US choppers landed at the border near Ghulam Khan area and searched the small village for suspected Taliban militants.
Quoting residents of Bange Dar village, the sources said after failing to find out any militants in the village, the US troops later held three 'innocent' men on suspicion of having links with Taliban militants involved in attacks on the US and NATO forces across the border.
However, senior government officials as well as security authorities denied violation of Pakistan's airspace by the coalition forces.
"We have our troops deployed along the border with Afghanistan but none of them reported any such violation by the foreign forces," a military officer has been quoted as saying.
The government officials said the incident might have happened across the border in Afghanistan as the Afghan nomads had set up small-tented villages inside Afghan territory.
When reached by telephone, Maj-Gen Athar Abbas, Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), denied reports about violation of Pakistan's airspace by the US choppers.
Last year in September, U.S troops had entered in Pakistan's South Waziristan tribal region and had killed 20 people including women and children.
U.S drones regularly fire missiles on Waziristan, ignoring Pakistan's protest.
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