October 11, 2001	Thursday	Rajab 23, 1422

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JACOBABAD, Oct 10: American military aircraft and helicopters have started using heavily-guarded Jacobabad airport as the US-led coalition’s strikes against Afghanistan entered fourth day on Wednesday.

Witnesses said at least ten US military aircraft and three helicopters were seen parked at the airport. They also saw dozens of American military personnel there.

According to witnesses, two or three battalions of the Pakistan Army moved in from Pano Aqil cantonment, and were performing surveillance duty around the airport.

No one is allowed to get through the surroundings of the airport, while many army personnel have taken positions on rooftops in the vicinity of the airport.

Security has also been beefed up in the city, as Jacobabad is an important airport of Sindh which has been allowed to be used by the US planes due to its geographical situation for carrying out strikes against Afghan cities located in the north.

The development has caused panic and concern among the residents of Jacobabad and the adjoining areas, where tribal customs reign supreme.

Residents are having the feel of the unseen war due to the presence of US planes in their area and the accompanying enhanced security measures taken by the authorities.

Tension is writ on their faces as they feel that these planes are being used in airstrikes on Afghanistan, a country they have empathy with.

Jacobabad is predominantly a tribal area and there is a large following of Jamiat Ulema Islam, which is strongly opposed to US policies vis-a-vis Afghanistan.

However, official circles, including senior army officers are tight-lipped and not prepared to say anything on this development.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that the army has taken over control of Dera Ghazi Khan, Panjgur, Pasni, and Gwadar airports and regular commercial flights from these airfields have been suspended to facilitate clear flight path for the coalition aircraft.

The traffic between Chaman and Quetta train section has also been suspended by the Railways for security purposes.

Foreign military cargo planes were seen arriving at a remote airport on Wednesday amid reports the United States was establishing a logistical presence in Pakistan as it escalates airstrikes against Afghanistan, reports AFP.

Witnesses told AFP they had seen what they believed to be US cargo planes and helicopters landing at two remote airports.

“We saw two cargo aircraft and some black helicopters at the airport,” said Waqar Qureshi, a resident of a village near Jacobabad airport.

Civil Aviation Authority Deputy Director General Air Vice Marshall Arshad Rashid denied having any knowledge of the presence of the US planes at the airport.

“Jacobabad is among the few airports in Pakistan which offers ‘joint airfields’ to both military and commercial flights. If some planes landed at the airport, only air headquarters could confirm it,” he said.

Witnesses also said they had seen unidentified foreign military aircraft at the airport in Pasni, near the naval base of Gwadar.

Officials at Jacobabad said the Pakistan army had significantly boosted its presence in the city in recent days, with checkpoints set up on the roads leading to the airport.

“The army has been deployed and many pickets have been set up for security,” Naib Nazim Mir Aijaz Hussain Jakhrani said.

So far the government officials have dismissed reports that any foreign troops are in the country.

“These reports are baseless,” foreign ministry spokesman Aziz Khan told reporters at a press briefing in Islamabad on Wednesday.

But military sources said Pakistan’s offer of logistical support did not rule out the use of Pakistani airfields, for operations such as search and rescue within Afghanistan or for emergency landings.

“They should have started landing by now,” one military source said, although he did not confirm that US planes were using Pakistani airports.

Senior military spokesman Rashid Qureshi told AFP he was “not sure” whether US forces were using Jacobabad.

“We cannot disclose the practicals of our logistic support to the United States. Do not expect us to reveal that,” he said.

“There is no truth in any report that any operation or offensive would be launched against Afghanistan from Pakistan,” he said.

FO DENIAL: The government on Wednesday denied media reports that it has put two airports at the disposal of the United States and allied forces for use in their war against terrorism.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Aziz Ahmed Khan dismissed the reports as “baseless”, though one report quoted an unidentified official as saying that Jacobabad and Pasni airports would be used as recovery stations but not for launching attacks on Afghanistan.