ISLAMABAD, Jan 8: Pakistan army and para-military troops on Thursday captured some foreign terrorists during a joint operation conducted in Wana in the South Waziristan Agency near Pakistan-Afghanistan border, Director-General of the Inter- Services Public Relation Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan said.

He said a firefight occurred between the suspects and the raiding troops but no loss of life was reported. Sources said the army had acted after receiving information that some foreign terrorists, presumably having links with Al Qaeda network, were holed up in Kalusha town of the tribal agency.

Three houses occupied by these suspects were damaged in the operation, the DG ISPR said. The official said the ongoing operation began early Thursday after these terrorists refused to surrender. "Their refusal (to lay down their arms) led to cross-firing but no casualty took place," he said.

The ISPR chief confirmed the arrest of some suspects, however, but he did not specify the number of people arrested in the operation. Asked whether the suspects had any link with Al Qaeda, he said: "It would be premature to comment on it."

Chairman of the National Crisis Management Cell Brig Javed Iqbal Cheema said as the operation is being inducted by the army, he could not comment about tell what had actually occurred there.

"Para-military troops, participating in the operation, are under the army's command," he said. Brig Cheema said a similar operation had already been taken place in the same area in October last year in which eight terrorist suspects were killed.

The official denied that suspects, who had evaded since the army action have started regrouping at Pakistan-Afghanistan border area. Information minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed termed the operation mild against a terrorist suspect named Naik Mohammad and his family.

Our Peshawar Bureau adds: A brigade of the Pakistan Army stationed in Wana, headquarters of the tribal region bordering Afghanistan, backed up by elements of the Tarbela-based Quick Reaction Force airborne troops, armoured personnel carriers, paramilitary forces and Khasadars moved into the village at the crack of the first light, a senior officials aid.

"The area was cordoned off at around 6am," Mohammad Azam Khan, administrator of the largest of the seven federally- administered tribal region told Dawn on telephone.

He said that tribal leaders accompanied the administration officials as troops conducted the search operation in the area to look for Maulvi Naik Mohammad and Sharif Khan, two native tribesmen.

"The operation was basically aimed at getting these two suspects", the official said. Local officials acknowledged that the search operation did not yield any result. "These two persons ... are simply not there," they said.

They said that army gunship helicopters conducted aerial surveillance of the area and fired warning shots. "But there was no resistance", one official said. He said that the authorities warned the dwellers of the houses to vacate their abode. "Women and children were seen leaving the houses of the accused", eye witnesses said.

He said that the army used Recoilless Rifles to blast four houses of the two accused and their brothers. He said that the administration had summoned Yargulkhel tribesmen earlier and had issued them notices to surrender foreign terrorists and the two main accused by Jan 8. "The deadline expired today and therefore we took action", he said.

He, however, said that the administration also contemplated action against Yargulkhel tribe for refusing to cooperate with them in demolishing the houses of the accused as per tribal laws. "We are considering action against the tribe for failing to get the job done for us", the official said.

"There is no inaccessible area. Foreign terrorists have no place on Pakistani soil," Azam Khan said. "We are gathering information and will conduct more raids to apprehend them.

Another official said authorities were in contact with some tribesmen to negotiate surrender of some local tribesmen believed to be providing sanctuary and helping remnants of Al Qaeda network.