Islamabad, Jan 14: Pakistani troops captured about 18 suspected terrorists during a military operation last week in a tribal region bordering Afghanistan, but it was unclear whether any were ``important figures,'' the Interior Minister said today. "Yes, we are questioning about one and a half dozen terrorists after arresting them from Wana to determine their identities and nationalities,'' Faisal Saleh Hayyat told the press. ``So far we are not certain about their ties with al-Qaeda.'' The Army raided several homes in Wana, a border town about 300 km west of the capital, Islamabad, during the Jan 9 operation, after receiving intelligence that some al-Qaeda fugitives were hiding there. Previously, the military had not confirmed the arrests of any terrorist suspects, only saying that 28 tribesmen were taken into custody during the operation. Many were later freed.

Hayyat would not say whether any of the captured terrorist suspects were foreigners or how senior they were.

``I cannot say if any important figures were among them,'' he said.

Wana, a deeply conservative tribal region, is believed to be one of many possible hideouts for Osama bin Laden, his top Lieutenant Ayman al-Zawahri and other fugitives.
Bureau Report