Pakistan kills two Al Qaeda suspects, arrests 11
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-03-05 22:37

MIRANSHAH, Pakistan - Pakistani soldiers killed two foreign al Qaeda suspects and arrested 11 people on Saturday in a remote northern village bordering Afghanistan, senior officials said.

The militants were hading in Devgar village in North Waziristan, roughly 185 miles southwest of the capital, Islamabad, a senior official said on condition of anonymity.

"Two foreign militants were killed in the exchange of gunfire with the security forces. Eleven others, including at least three foreigners, were arrested," he said.

It was not immediately known whether any al Qaeda leaders were among the dead or the arrested men.

Witnesses said that troops moved into the small village after midnight and surrounded a mud-and-brick house, where the militants were hiding.

"But the shootout started early in the morning which lasted for more than two hours," one witness said.

"One woman and at least three security personnel also suffered minor wounds," he said.

Another official, who also asked not to be named, said that the two dead al Qaeda suspects appeared to be Arabs.

"The arrested men include two Sudanese and one Qatari national," he added. "The rest are locals."

The arrested men were hand-cuffed and swiftly moved to an undisclosed location for interrogation, witnesses said.

Hundreds of al Qaeda linked militants are believed to be hiding in Pakistan's rugged mountainous region bordering Afghanistan where they enjoy support among the conservative Pashtun tribesmen.

Pakistani security forces have killed and arrested hundreds of militants in the neighboring tribal region of South Waziristan in a spate of operations launched last year.

Officials say that the sustained crackdown forced militants to flee to other areas inside Pakistan as well as to Afghanistan.

But so far, the security forces have found no sign of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden or his deputy Ayman al Zawahri, who some experts say are somewhere in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region.

Pakistan has arrested more than 600 al Qaeda and Afghan Taliban and handed them over to the U.S. authorities since joining the war on terror declared by Waqhington after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

Close

Today's Top News     Top World News
FM calls for US, N.Korea flexibility in nuclear talks         Wen lowers 2005 economic growth target         Hu's vision for cross-Straits ties hailed         Agricultural tax to be scrapped from 2006         Dollar decline won't lead to forex sale         Liu Xiang wants more time and privacy	Powell Sees No Need to Use Military Against Iran       Bush plays down Canada's missile defense decision       Palestinians seize weapons in new crackdown       Italy demands answers on hostage shooting       Abbas urges Israeli hand over of West Bank       Pakistan kills two Al Qaeda suspects, arrests 11