Looks like Mahmoud the Weasel has struck again!
Suspected al-Qaeda terrorists eluded Pakistani troops during a manhunt in a remote mountain region near the Afghan border that is a possible hideout for Osama bin Laden and other fugitives of the organization.
| Amazing, how that happens... |
Pakistani authorities detained 28 tribesmen in the operation, all members of the Wazir tribe, but did not find any of the suspected foreign terrorists they were looking for since the raid was launched Thursday, officials said Friday. Four paramilitary rangers were killed when a rocket hit their base camp Thursday in Wana, the administrative center of semiautonomous South Waziristan tribal area, after the raid ended, said Gen. Shaukat Sultan, an army spokesman. He said two soldiers died shortly after the attack and two later died at a hospital. It was unclear who fired the rocket, but Sultan said it was not linked to the operation. The fiercely independent tribesmen often target Pakistani soldiers who venture into their area.
| Perhaps the Pakistani soldiers should try targeting them back? |
Pakistani officials refused to give details of the operation, but described it as minor, indicating bin Laden and other high-profile al-Qaeda members who could be hiding in the mountains along the Pakistan-Afghan border were not the targets. "It was not a high-profile operation," Sultan said. "It was a search operation."
| One that was blown before it was started... |
A Wana official said that 28 tribesmen had been detained and that elders were demanding their release. Under Pakistani law, an entire tribe is responsible for any crime committed by one of its members and can be punished collectively. Tribal elders are expected to work with authorities and turn in any criminals. In return, the tribes have autonomy over their affairs. Another Wana security official told The Associated Press that the tribesmen were being questioned about who had been at the compounds. Some gunfire was exchanged during Thursday’s operation, but it was not clear if it came from the foreign suspects or from local people, the official said. |