Posted on 05/29/2004 2:31:59 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) - Warning of renewed military attacks if arm-twisting fails, Pakistani security forces detained dozens of tribesmen Saturday after tribal elders failed to register and disarm foreign militants suspected of links to the Taliban and al-Qaida.
The crackdown also included the seizures of vehicles and closings of businesses. It focused on the Ahmedzai Wazir tribe in South Waziristan, a region bordering Afghanistan and a possible refuge for extremists, including Osama bin Laden and his chief aide, Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Pakistani authorities took the action after a compromise reached with tribal elders in the semiautonomous region two months ago broke down. The tribes were supposed to register foreign militants who, in exchange, would be allowed to stay in the region if they laid down their arms and renounced violence. No militants have registered, Pakistani officials said.
"We began this operation today," said Brig. Mahmood Shah, chief of security in the region, referring to the detentions. "If it does not achieve the required results, the option of using force is there."
Afghan, Arab and Central Asian Islamic militants are suspected of hiding in the rugged region. A Pakistani military offensive to root them out two months ago was called off when about 50 soldiers were killed in unexpectedly fierce fighting.
Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, the Army disclosed that two U.S. soldiers were wounded Thursday near the Pakistani border during a clash with militants that involved U.S. air strikes.
The skirmish occurred near Shkin, a border town in Paktika province, some 140 miles south of the capital, Kabul. The identities and conditions of the wounded soldiers were not released. It was unclear if any enemy forces were killed.
Pakistan has complained about two incursions by U.S. troops onto its territory this month and American officials have promised to take greater precautions.
However, Pakistani media reported that U.S. aircraft violated Pakistan's air space across from Paktika province Thursday night. It was not immediately clear whether the alleged violation came from the same clash reported by the U.S. military.
In Kabul, officials announced the arrest Thursday of a man suspected of trying to recruit students at Kabul University to carry out suicide attacks on international peacekeepers for the Taliban. No details about his identity were disclosed.
Khalis Aminzada, Kabul's deputy police chief, said it was "possible" the suspect was involved in earlier suicide attacks that killed six peacekeepers over the past year. The latest deaths occurred in January, when back-to-back bombings killed one Canadian and one British soldier.
About 350 people have died this year in violence between resurgent Taliban fighters and U.S., Afghan and international peacekeeping forces ahead of landmark elections in September that militants are trying to disrupt.
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