Posted on 05/06/2002 10:35:18 AM PDT by Pal10523
Operation Snipe aimed at to rescue 76 US hostages Fakhar-ur-Rehman Updated on 5/6/2002 9:34:55 AM
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ISLAMABAD: Joined by the US and Canadian troops, more than 2000 British-led Special Commando forces under "Operation Snipe" are gearing up efforts to launch a major attack to rescue around 76 soldiers who were arrested by the Taliban and Al Qaida forces during the battle in the snow covered Arma Peaks of Paktia Province in March this year, highly credible sources have confided to The Frontier Post.
Both Diplomatic and Afghan sources have said, "the majority of the soldiers are of American nationality but there are some Canadian troops also".
US believes that the Taliban forces are keeping them in hide in the south eastern part of Afghanistan.
Earlier reports had suggested that 18 allied soldiers were taken hostage by the Taliban forces during severest clashes which took place during March at Shah-e-Kot in Gardez where the fighting came to an end only when 400 US-led Allied troops had to withdraw in order to provide safe passage to the Al Qaida and Taliban forces to ensure the safety of US soldiers arrested by the opposition forces.
Afghan sources said that the US led forces had agreed to withdraw yielding to the three conditions forwarded by the Taliban forces.
One that the all US-led forces will withdraw with no aerial attacks to ensure safe passage to all Taliban forces and that all more than 350 Taliban and pro-Taliban prisoners held at Guantanamu Bay in Cuba will be set free.
While United States did not act on releasing the Afghan and non-Afghans alleged to have links with Al Qaida, it did provide a safe passage.
So far the fate of the 76 US soldiers is not known despite all efforts to trace them through satellite, diplomatic sources added.
These sources said during the Operation Snipe each and every area in the tribal belt will be combed where aerial military strike could not be ruled out.
But this has been ruled out by Pakistan in categorical terms.
Foreign Office Spokesman Aziz Ahmed Khan said "no question" of military air strikes in the tribal areas.
"Neither US has asked nor we have given any such permission, it is out of question," he said while talking The Frontier Post.
President General Pervez Musharraf Saturday ruled out any possibility of Al Qaida regrouping in Pakistan believing that alleged terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden was still in Afghanistan but might be dead already.
The political situation in the tribal areas particularly in North Waziristan has become charged following the tribesmen warned to launch war against raids by the Pakistani and US forces on religious institutions in pursuit of Taliban and Al Qaida members.
Though United States has admitted very less casualties during her seven-month war against terrorism since October 7, 2001 but it is estimated that it has suffered around 400 casualties in Afghanistan and many dead bodies of the soldiers are lying on the US combat ships in the Arabian Sea.
Afghan sources maintained that on October 20, 2001 during a night commando operation in Kandahar, US had suffered more than 90 casualties.
Later, Al Qaida and Taliban have caused more than 50 casualties at Tahktapul, which lies between Kandahar and Spin Boldak.
In March this year, during bloodiest battle at Shahi-e-Kot of Paktia Province, the Taliban forces claimed to have destroyed 13 military helicopters and killed 180 US soldiers.
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Me too. BTW,I bet this thread will not last long.
I used to go snipe hunting when I was a kid....
I think I saw it in this same newspaper a few months back. I don't remember Debka picking it up, although it's right up their alley.
It was BS before, and it's BS now. This is least reliable and most Islamic paper in Pakistan. Almost nothing they print that is an exclusive is factual.
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