Bagram Air Base (Afghanistan), Mar 10: The US military today denied reports it had stepped up its presence along Afghanistan's northeastern frontier with Pakistan in its ongoing hunt for Al-Qaeda fugitives.
"There is nothing special going on at this time. We do have people who come and go from time to time," said US military spokesman Colonel Roger King.
According to some press reports, scores of extra US troops had been drafted into the town of Barikot in northeastern Kunar province, abutting the Pakistan border district of Chitral.
It said US army helicopter flights over Barikot had increased in recent days and speculated the troop build-up indicated an intensified hunt for Al-Qaeda extremists.
Pakistani officials have named scenic Chitral as a hot pot in the hunt for Osama bin Laden, based on clues extracted from captured Al-Qaeda kingpin Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and financier Mustafa Ahmed Al-Hawsawi.
Bureau Report
