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| 27 February 2004 | Friday | 06 Muharram 1425 |
S. Waziristan operation successful: ISPR
ISLAMABAD, Feb 26: The Director-General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan, said on Wednesday the recently ended operation in South Waziristan Agency was completely successful and its objectives were achieved.
Giving the background of the operation, the DG said on Oct 12 last year an operation was conducted in Angoor Adda on confirmed reports that some terrorists were taking shelter in the area. In the operation, he added, eight terrorists were killed and 18 others arrested.
He was speaking in PTV programme 'News Night'. This year on Jan 8, Maj-Gen Shaukat said, a search operation was conducted on the suspicion that some foreign terrorists were present in the area.
Later, he added, a new strategy was adopted under which the tribal elders were asked to hand over the persons who gave shelter to foreign terrorists. A list of suspected persons involved in facilitating foreign terrorists was given to the elders.
The tribal elders handed over most of them but till the given deadline no foreign terrorist had surrendered, he added. Clarifying the notion of wanted men, he said every person involved in terrorism and extremism 'is wanted'. There was no list of wanted men in Pakistan, he said, adding Pakistan's war on terrorism was broadbased and aimed at rooting out the menace of terrorism and extremism from the country.
He confirmed the arrest of some foreign women during the recent operation in South Waziristan Agency, but termed reports about the presence of Ayman al-Zawahri as 'fiction fantasies'.
About the arrest of al-Zawahri's son during the operation, he said it could not be confirmed until the completion of investigations. To a question, he said all tribesmen were cooperating and situation in the area was peaceful. -APP
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