A major US television network has obtained videos not seen so far, showing fierce fighting between Pakistani troops and Al Qaeda forces in South Waziristan last year. According to ABC, the videos made by Al Qaeda for propaganda purposes showcase the intensely violent fighting and unique difficulties that surround the hunt for Osama Bin Laden in the remote tribal areas of northwest Pakistan. "It is a view from Al Qaeda's side of the battle. The videotapes were said to be made last year, when the Pakistani army undertook a major offensive into South Waziristan ... where the fiercely independent Waziri tribe resides and where Bin Laden is believed to be in hiding," said the network.
The Pakistan Army declared the campaign in Waziristan to have been a major victory. However, states ABC, "In at least four cases, the video shows (that) Pakistani army troops were driven into ambushes. One scene shows the insurgents tracking a Pakistani convoy from the mountains above before opening fire. Another scene focuses on the fiery aftermath of an attack on an army convoy." The footage also shows what appear to be new Al Qaeda training camps inside Pakistan, similar to the ones that were dismantled in Afghanistan. The tapes show a new generation of militants, some no older than 10 or 12, carrying automatic weapons. "These are infidels and they deserve to be killed," a youngster tells the camera. |