ISLAMABAD, Feb 22: Information and Broadcasting Minister Shaikh Rashid Ahmed on Sunday denied a report in British daily Sunday Express that special forces of Britain and America had surrounded Osama bin Laden and his associates in an area north of Quetta.

Talking to a private TV channel, the minister said neither there were British or American forces in Pakistani territory nor such an operation had been conducted. The London paper in its report said that US and British special forces had cornered Osama in a mountainous area near the Afghanistan border.

"He is boxed in," an unidentified source was quoted by the tabloid as saying, adding that US special forces were 'absolutely confident' that he could not escape.

Shaikh Rashid said Pakistan army troops had been deployed to seal the complicated area at Wana and its bordering areas just to stop illegal entry from Afghanistan. He said the army had not started any operation. It only strengthened its force to secure the borders of the country, the minister added.

Later, talking to newsmen here, the minister said that the troops had been deployed on Pakistani land and they would operate on the country's soil. "Neither they will join any other country's force nor any other country's force will join them," he said.

The troops would not only keep vigil over the illegal entry of any undesirable element from Afghanistan but also ensure security and integrity of the country, he said.

He said the step did not target any individual but was a part of Pakistan's commitment to the international community against terrorism. Some 50 terrorists had surrendered to the civil administration, he said. -Agencies