Pakistan Targets Tribes in Hunt for Militants
Pakistani authorities are gearing up for a drive against Al Qaeda and Taliban militants in remote western tribal areas and have sought more paramilitary troops, officials said Sunday.
A large number of Islamic militants, including Osama bin Laden, are thought to be hiding in the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“We have built up enough pressure on these people, and we should not let this pressure ease. These people are on the run, and we are also determined to end this menace once and for all,” said Mohammed Azam Khan, a top official in the tribal region of South Waziristan.
The U.S. military has also said it would launch a spring offensive against Afghan insurgents in what could be part of an effort to find Bin Laden.
A brigade from the Pakistani army is already in Waziristan, where authorities have been pressuring tribesmen to stop sheltering Al Qaeda and Taliban suspects.
On Saturday, political authorities in the semiautonomous tribal areas asked for 8,000 paramilitary soldiers to add to the 4,000 already deployed.
“We have asked for additional paramilitary troops,” Khan said. “We have one full brigade from the regular Pakistan army, but we would like to use them only as a backup force.”
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