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| Tuesday, 13 January 2004 |
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Pakistani tribesmen to target foreign militants WANA, Pakistan, Monday (Reuters) A tribal council in remote western Pakistan will form a small army to aid the government in battling foreign Islamic militants, tribal officials said. Pakistan's rugged mountain region bordering Afghanistan is thought to be a haven for al Qaeda and Taliban fugitives because they enjoy massive support among the local Pashtun population. Hundreds of Wazir tribesmen held a traditional jirga, or council meeting, in the town of Wana in South Waziristan and decided to form the group. "We have to save our area from destruction. Pakistan is our country, it is very dear to us," tribal elder and former parliamentarian Nur Mohammad told the gathering in Wana, 360 km (225 miles) southeast of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. Fugitives who Pakistani, U.S. and Afghan officials believe could be hiding in the border area include the world's most wanted man - al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. On Saturday the government promised stern action against the tribes if they did not cooperate with the authorities in its war on "terror", witnesses and tribal sources said. |
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