Riaz Khan, Associated Press  --  Arab News

PESHAWAR, 13 June 2004 — Pakistani troops backed by helicopter gunships and fighter jets carried out a hunt for militants and faced little resistance as they converged on a cluster of suspected Al-Qaeda hide-outs and a training facility in a remote tribal region near Afghanistan, officials said yesterday

A US military official said American forces in Afghanistan were closely following the action, and ready to move against any militants who attempted to flee across the border

The offensive focused on three Al-Qaeda-linked compounds — a training facility, a safe house, and the home of an alleged terror financier — near the town of Shakai, about 25 kilometers west of Wana, the largest town in South Waziristan

The operation continued yesterday after Pakistani forces used artillery and helicopter gunships the day before against rebels near Shakai, the security official said on condition of anonymity. Pakistani forces met little opposition, he said

Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan told The Associated Press in the capital Islamabad that troops looking for rebels searched mountain hide-outs near Shakai yesterday, aided by helicopters and fighter jets. No arrests were reported

Sultan said Pakistani troops and the militants exchanged sporadic gunfire throughout the day yesterday. There was no word on either side of fresh casualties

Rehmatullah Yargul Khel, a tribal elder living in Wana, told AP by telephone that he saw planes and helicopters flying toward Shakai and heard artillery coming from the area. But it was quiet by evening, he said

In Kabul, the Afghan capital, US military spokesman Lt. Col. Tucker Mansager said American forces were in “very close contact” with their Pakistani counterparts and sharing information

“We maintain a very robust presence on that portion of the border in anticipation that any anti-coalition militants that might try to escape the Pakistani Army across the border,” Mansager told reporters

He said American forces had seen “no particular increase so far” in the movement of suspected militants across the border since the Pakistani operation began. “But we’re more than ready for it if it comes.”

Skirmishes between Pakistani government soldiers and militants began Wednesday when rebels attacked a checkpoint, killing 15 security personnel

On Friday, Gen. Shaukat Sultan said Pakistani troops launched the operation in response to “unprovoked firing” by foreign militants.

He said the army killed 35 insurgents between Wednesday and Thursday, but refused to give any casualty figures for Friday’s fighting. The Al-Qaeda training facility, with a shooting range, was destroyed, Sultan said

Residents say a number of civilians have been killed, with mud homes leveled and many people forced to flee, but Sultan said he had no information about any civilian casualties

“Pakistan took a bold decision to fight against terrorism,” he told a news conference. “We are ready to pay the price, whatever it may be, and we will take this fight against terrorism to its logical end.”

Sultan said one of the targets was the home of a suspected Al-Qaeda financier, Abd Al-Hadi Al-Iraqi. He would not comment on whether the suspect was there when the attack occurred, but said 10-15 other foreigners were believed inside. Their fate was unclear

He showed photos of the bodies of five militants killed by the army, and displayed satellite images he said showed the militant compounds He would not confirm whether the photos were taken by American satellites, but acknowledged that Pakistan receives technical help from Washington The army said in a statement that foreign militants had taken the local population hostage, forcing it to take action to flush them out

Government and military officials said the army pounded the hide-outs with artillery, mortars and other weapons, while helicopters also were seen flying in the area

Residents in Wana told AP by phone that they saw some fighter planes in the area and heard a “loud explosion,” suggesting the military might have dropped bombs on the militants’ hide-outs. Sultan refused to confirm the use of aircraft

Brig. Mahmood Shah, the chief of security for South Waziristan, said local authorities on Saturday gave thousands of Afghan refugees living in camps near Wana 72 hours to relocate to another location

Another official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AP the decision to move the refugees to Dabara area, east of Wana, was aimed at stopping militants from using their camps as a hideout

Pakistan’s tribal regions bordering Afghanistan are considered a possible hideout for Osama Bin Laden and his chief aide, Ayman Al-Zawahiri. There was no immediate indication that top Al-Qaeda figures were among those involved in the latest fighting.