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| 29 August 2004 | Sunday | 12 Rajab 1425 |
Allied forces, Afghans free six tribesmen
MIRAMSHAH, Aug 28: Six Pakistani tribesmen who were arrested by the US-led allied forces in Afghanistan from the border area were released on Friday night, locals said.
Unofficial sources said that about 100 allied and Afghan troops intruded into Kaza Madakhel, Baderkhel and Dadam areas from Afghanistan's Paktia province on Wednesday evening and captured six tribesmen.
Army spokesman Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan denied the incursion of the allied and Afghan forces into Pakistani territory.
The sources quoting a local tribesman, Malik Hamid, said that allied forces took away six armed tribesmen from the border area and shifted them to Paktia.
They were released after interrogation, but their weapons were not returned.
Three of the six released tribesmen have been identified as Shahzada, Rab Nawaz and Pat Khan. The released tribesmen told the locals that during interrogation allied and Afghan troops were asking questions about the presence of the Al Qaeda and Taliban suspects in the area.
Tribesmen living along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border said that they had been in trouble ever since the operation against Al Qaeda started in the region. The allied and Afghan forces had often been pressuring them for getting information about Al Qaeda and Taliban, they added.
Sources said that few days back allied and Afghan troops arrested two persons of the Pipali tribe and shifted them to a military checkpoint.
They said that the Afghan authorities met the elders of the Pipali tribe at Tirkani on July 25 and had sought assistance from them to share information about the movement of Al Qaeda suspects.
Allied and Afghan military officials also offered incentives to the tribesmen.
Following the arrest of the two fellow tribesmen, about 15 families of the Pipali tribe crossed into Lowra Mandai in the North Waziristan tribal region and took shelter with their relatives.
However, the Afghan authorities released the two persons on Aug 19.
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