On a tip-off, the Bajaur Agency political administration chased MarwanÂ’s car on Nawagai Road and he responded with fire, sources said. Resultantly, Levies jawan Saleem was killed and two of his colleagues were injured, they added. The security force retaliated and killed the militant. They seized four hand grenades, a video camera, a diary written in Arabic, a CD mike, a recording of the funeral of those who were killed in an air strike on Dama Dola village earlier this year, a charger and childrenÂ’s clothes from him, sources said. Abu Marwan al-Suri was wanted by the United States and previously thought to have been killed months ago in a US air strike on Dama Dola village in Bajaur Agency. Officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Abu Marwan al-Suri was the head of Al QaedaÂ’s operations in PakistanÂ’s Waziristan tribal region. Military spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan confirmed the shooting in Khar but had no details of the dead manÂ’s identity, other than that he appeared to be a foreigner.
Additional: (AKI/DAWN) - A suspected al-Qaeda militant believed to have close links to the terrorist network's number two, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and a security official have been killed in a shootout in Pakistan's Bajaur tribal region, according to a Pakistani security official. The official identified the militant killed in Thursday's shooting by his alias, Abu Marwan, a Saudi national, known for expertise in explosives. The official said that Abu Marwan was wanted by the US and he was one of the targets of a US air raid at Damadola village in Bajaur on 18 January. His body has been transported to a hospital in the city of Peshawar for identification. Abu MarwanÂ’s real name, however, could not be ascertained. His body was taken to Peshawar for a DNA test.
| At least we've got a body this time. |
Sources said that the administration in Bajaur had been tipped off by an intelligence agency about the movement of an Al Qaeda suspect. The authorities deployed Bajaur security personnel on a road leading to Khar, who stopped a passenger coach. When asked to disembark the suspect pushed a guard tried to flee and opened fire, killing one soldier before being shot dead. Authorities found a video camera, a laptop computer, hand grenades and some documents in the suspect's vehicle, officials said.
More: Chief Military spokesman Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan refused to confirm the identity of the suspect killed during the gun-battle on a road leading to Khar district of Bajur. 'The fellow appeared to be a foreign national and (DNA) tests have to be carried out and only then we can confirm who he was,' he told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
The shootout took place Thursday evening when security forces, following a tip-off, stopped a passenger coach and asked the suspect to disembark. 'The suspect opened fire and killed a paramilitary soldier and wounded two others before being killed in the exchange of fire,' a security official said while requesting anonymity.