PESHAWAR, Aug 28: Residents of tribal border belt have warned that US troops will face attack if they launched a hunt in their semi-autonomous tribal region for Al Qaeda fugitives.

Speculation that a US military operation was in the offing was sparked by US Central Command chief Gen Tommy Franks’ comments in Afghanistan on Sunday that the Al Qaeda hunt needed to be expanded into neighbouring countries.

Hundreds of Al Qaeda fugitives and Osama bin Laden are believed by US and Afghan officials to be hiding in Pakistan’s remote tribal belt.

“The tribal people will resist US troops,” said Iqbal Hussain, a merchant in Kurram Agency, one of seven agencies that make up the zone where Afridi, Shinwari, Wazir, Malagwi, and Shalmani tribes live under their own laws.

“They will blockade the routes, they may create hindrances in their way, they may attack them with rocket fire, maybe missile fire, and they may carry out hit-and-run (attacks), hide and seek,” Mr Hussain told AFP.

“So when you have hide and seek it’s like a guerilla war, hit and run.”

Tribal leaders said Pakistani troops, who had never entered their region until late last year, were welcome, but US troops were not.

“We do not want Americans in our area. The people are against direct operations by Americans,” Haji Bazeer, a trader in Miranshah in North Waziristan Agency, told AFP.

“Tribals in this area decided in a traditional jirga that if the Pakistan army and paramilitary forces, with the help of tribal elders, launch any search operation the locals will cooperate. But they do not like Americans in their area.”

FBI agents stationed in Miranshah earlier this year came under rocket attack five times, though none were hurt.

Mohammad Ali Wazir, a businessman in the South Waziristan Agency’s Wana town, predicted “a strong reaction” if US troops went to the tribal area.

“The tribal people here will not like any such operation and they will fight whatever type of fight they can. They have no helicopters or sophisticated arms, but what they can do they will do.”

“Because there’s no Al Qaeda here, and if they’re going to search it will be a big problem for us,” he said—AFP