Pakistani camp raided despite call for truce
By Farhan Bokhari in Islamabad, Published: March 22 2004 7:33

Pakistani troops came under fresh fire from militants loyal to al-Qaeda in a remote region along the Afghan border early Monday morning, after a relatively calm night as tribal leaders struggled to bring about a truce.

Eyewitnesses at Wana, capital of Pakistan's Waziristan region bordering Afghanistan, said rockets were fired at a military camp, provoking another round of firing between the Pakistani military and militant groups.

Initial reports did not give a count of casualties, though senior officials in Islamabad said the situation remained highly volatile. "The exchange of fire is so intense that the chances of high numbers of casualties remains," said one government official.

The fighting began last week after the Pakistani military sent up to 5,000 troops to the mountainous area to hunt militants believed to be linked to al-Qaeda.

The battle marks the first time that so many Pakistani troops fight in the area, inhabited by heavily armed, nomadic tribesmen to whom offering refuge to fellow Muslims is a matter of honour.

Global interest in the fighting peaked last Thursday after General Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's military ruler, said there could be a "high-value" terrorist target in the area. His remarks provoked speculation that the target was Ayman Al Zawahiri, al-Qaeda's number two leader.

But on Sunday, Pakistani officials distanced themselves from the speculation. "There are a number of other high value targets in al-Qaeda, not just al-Zawahiri," said one official. "This could be any one of them".

Pakistan's assessment of the presence of an important al-Qaeda figure in the area has been prompted by the ferocity of resistance from the militants, who have shown no signs of retreating despite being pounded by heavy rocket fire.

On Sunday, the Pakistani government allowed a group of tribal leaders to travel inside a 50-sq-km stretch surrounded by the military in an effort to bring about a truce with the militants. The tribal leaders were accompanied by ambulances to treat the injured and extract dead bodies.

The Pakistani operation comes at a time when US troops have intensified their hunt in the border region for militants fleeing from Pakistan. Western diplomats believe militants' activities along the border pose a major threat to efforts by Afghan president Hamid Karzai to oversee an eventual transition to an elected government.

Source:
www.ft.com