MIRAMSHAH, Sept 1: Over 100 allied forces intruded into Pakistani territory from Afghanistan on Tuesday in search of Al Qaeda and Taliban suspects, sources said.

Residents said troops crossed into the Pakistani territory at 12 noon and moved up to two kilometres inside the North Waziristan Agency.

Sudden appearance of the allied forces in the area frightened the residents, witnesses said. Habibur Rehman, a local resident, told this correspondent that allied troops searched the houses of four tribesmen in Macha Madakhel, about 50km west of Miramshah, and recovered a Kalashnikov.

The tribesmen were identified as Mir Sahib Khan, Ma Gul, Mir Kalam Khan and Nazir Khan. "The allied troops were searching for Al Qaeda and Taliban suspects in the area," a witness said. Army spokesman Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan, who was approached in Islamabad, expressed ignorance about the intrusion.