Pakistan denies US pressure for anti-terror operation

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, January 13, 2004

Pakistan denies US pressure for anti-terror operation

Pakistan Monday denied there is any pressure from the United States for launching a major operation against suspected al-Qaeda militants in the country's tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.

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Pakistan Monday denied there is any pressure from the United States for launching a major operation against suspected al-Qaeda militants in the country's tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.

"We do not yield to any foreign pressure and the operation is driven by our own interests," Foreign Office spokesman Masood Khansaid at a weekly news briefing.

Referring to a second large-scale operation in the tribal region against suspected terrorists in the past three months, Masood Khan said the offensive is in the area of South Waziristan,where the authorities believe a number of foreigners have taken shelter.

Afghan and US officials said the area has been a hub of activity for members of Afghanistan's ousted Taliban regime and Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda.

The military crackdown started in the early hours on Thursday morning following intelligence reports that some suspected foreignmilitants were hiding in the mountains near Waziristan's main townof Wana.

Initial reports said that as the ground troops moved into the area to round up the suspects, they came under fire. Helicopter gunships were called in to provide the air cover.

Masood said it was a search operation after receiving some credible information that some suspected foreign terrorists were hiding there and some tribesmen had given them refuge.

The authorities have set a deadline to the local tribesmen to hand over the foreign suspects till Monday.

Last year, the Pakistani military carried out two major operations in the area. The fiercest one was in October when eightsuspected militants and two troops were killed. One of the people killed was later identified as Hasan Mahsum, a top terrorist of the Chinese Islamic separatist movement.

Since early last year, the Pakistani military authorities have kept the entire tribal region of South Waziristan under siege since there are suspicions that some high-ranking al-Qaeda militants may be hiding there.

When asked to elaborate on Islamabad's anti-terror cooperation with Washington, Masood said Pakistan has given the United States logistical support, shared intelligence information and given themauthorization to use Pakistan's airspace in the war on terrorism.

He added that cooperation in these areas is continuing.

Source: Xinhua

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