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STRATFOR.com
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THE INTERNET SOURCE FOR GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE
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Pakistan: U.S. Using Local Tribe Against Al Qaeda
May 14, 2002
Summary
Pakistani paramilitary troops and local tribesmen are arresting hundreds of suspected al Qaeda members in western Pakistan, local media are reporting. For Washington, this is the first significant operation inside Pakistan, but success depends on the cooperation of uncertain allies.
Image Credit: l'Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Analysis
Pakistani paramilitary troops have arrested hundreds of suspected al Qaeda members during an operation in the western tribal territory near the Afghan border, the Islamabad-based News Network International (NNI) reported. The operation is the first major action against potential al Qaeda members in Pakistan.
The United States appears to be following the "Afghan model" of warfighting in western Pakistan. U.S. and Pakistani troops are working with a local tribe, the Mahsuds, which is providing intelligence and manpower to assist in the arrests. But Washington may not have the same success with the Mahsuds as it did with Afghanistan's Northern Alliance.
The NNI alleged that "hundreds" of al Qaeda suspects were arrested by more than 300 local paramilitary troops starting the morning of May 13. The paper reported that before the mission, FBI personnel supplied the troops with names, pictures and suspected locations of the al Qaeda fighters while U.S. aircraft and helicopters flew surveillance missions throughout the day. Meanwhile, Pakistani troops took up positions in the mountains near the border in hope of cutting off escape routes into Afghanistan.
(The Rest of the Story)
(c) 2001 Stratfor, Inc.
Dan
Pakistan: U.S. Using Local Tribe Against Al Qaeda . . .