November 24, 2002	Sunday	Ramazan 18, 1423

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WANA, Nov 23: The Pakistan authorities and the officials of US forces in Afghanistan held a meeting at a checkpoint astride the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Angoor Adda in the South Waziristan Agency, and discussed the recent attacks by the fugitive Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters on the allied forces in Birmal area in southeastern Afghanistan, officials said on Saturday.

For the brief meeting, the representatives of the US forces came from the Bagram air base in a helicopter to the Angoor Adda in the South Waziristan Agency. The Pakistani group included the Commandant of South Waziristan Agency Scouts Force, Mohammad Saeed Khan.

The sources said the US officials discussed with Pakistan authorities the ways to effectively forestall the increasing attacks on the allied forces in Afghanistan territory bordering the South and North Waziristan Agencies.

The US authorities also asked the Pakistani forces to keep a close watch over the movement of the suspected Taliban and Al Qaeda and help the allied forces hunt down the fugitives and find their hideouts, the sources added.

The Americans also asked the Pakistan border forces to keep a close watch on the mountainous routes leading to the Birmal area in the southeastern Afghanistan from the Pakistani tribal agency, the sources said.

Southeastern Afghanistan is regarded as the most dangerous part of the war-torn country for guerilla warfare.

In the past several months, the allied forces had come under rocket and missile attacks during their hunt for the Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters in these areas.

According to sources, the joint patrol party of the allied forces and Afghan troops was attacked with Kalashnikovs in Birmal some days back and after an intense exchange of gunfire, the US forces recovered modern weapons from the scene.