Islamabad, Jan 10: 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 organisation. 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 yesterday. 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. 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. 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.
Bureau Report