TIRAH VALLEY, Pakistan, Dec 13, 2001 (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) -- Pakistani military helicopters hovered at the border with Afghanistan and hundreds of soldiers patrolled the narrow mountain trails Thursday to try to stop Osama bin Laden or other al-Qaida members from escaping into Pakistan.
Pakistani troops, armed with heavy machine guns and light weapons, have set up positions on mountain peaks along the border near the besieged Tora Bora camp, where U.S. bombers were pounding suspected al-Qaida members battling Afghan fighters.
There are fears that the militants may try to enter Pakistan - a key partner of the U.S.-led coalition against war on terrorism.
"We are monitoring the border round the clock," said Aslam Khan, a Pakistani soldier.
Snow was falling Thursday in the Tora Bora area, Pakistani tribesmen said it would be difficult for al-Qaida fighters to make the arduous journey into Pakistan.
"The snow has blocked most of the passes," said Gul Zareen, 62, a Pakistani tribesmen.
"It seems that nature has also turned against Osama and his friends," Zareen told The Associated Press here in the Tirah Valley, located 130 kilometers (78 miles) southwest of Peshawar. "It's now impossible to cross these mountains either by foot or by mules," he said.
On Sunday, the government won approval from tribal elders in the semiautonomous region to send a federal force to the porous frontier. The army movement was the first time federal forces have received permission from tribal elders to enter the area.
Zareen said bin Laden and his friends won't be welcome in his area which is home to warrior Afridi tribes.
"We don't want Osama or (the Taliban leader) Mullah (Mohammed) Omar to create problems for us," he said. "We welcome the presence of troops here. It is in our interest."
"If they come here we will arrest them ourselves," he said.
Pakistan, which shares 2,240 kilometers (1,344 miles) long border with Afghanistan, has tightened security at its frontier with the war-torn neighbor in recent weeks in an attempt to cut the escape routes of militants. But the security is particularly tight in region bordering Nangarhar.
Bin Laden is a prime suspect of Sept. 11 terrorist strikes in the United States, which has vowed to eliminate his network and protectors - the Afghan Taliban.
Gen. Rashid Quereshi, the spokesman of the military-led government, said a substantial number of troops have been deployed at Pakistan's border with Afghanistan to prevent fleeing Afghan Taliban and Islamic militants from entering the country.
Pakistani soldiers and paramilitary troops have been deployed at all mountain tracks and the border has effectively been sealed between the two countries, he said in the capital Islamabad.
He, however, refused to give details about the number of soldiers or helicopters involved in the operation.
On early Thursday, three helicopters were seen flying low for surveillance.
Gula Jan, 67, another Pakistani tribesmen said most people of his area supported the government's decision to side with the United States in war against terrorism.
"We don't want our land to be targeted," he said. "We want to live in peace."
By RIAZ KHAN Associated Press Writer
Copyright 2001 Associated Press, All rights reserved