<

Suspected al Qaeda Fugitives Said Seized in Pakistan
Friday, June 28, 2002
(7:59 PM ET) (23:59 GMT)
The Associated Press

The Pakistani casualties were the first since President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, a key U.S. ally in the war on terror, deployed troops to the area that borders the Afghan provinces of Paktia and Paktika last year to intercept al Qaeda and Taliban members fleeing U.S. attacks.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- AP
Pakistani troops on Friday seized at least 16 suspected foreign al Qaeda fugitives believed to have been involved in a shootout that killed 10 Pakistani soldiers in a remote border region earlier this week, several government officials said.

The arrests came amid an intensive search in tribal areas of western Pakistan that began Wednesday after more than 40 suspected al Qaeda fighters opened fire on the Pakistani soldiers.

The Pakistani dead included a captain and a major, and a number of other soldiers were wounded in the confrontation Wednesday near the town of Wana in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province.

Two suspected al Qaeda fighters were killed and one, a 15-year-old boy, was captured. The rest of the fighters fled under cover of darkness.

The men arrested Friday included eight Chechens, two Sudanese, two Nigerians and four Afghans, said several Pakistani intelligence and interior ministry officials, all speaking on condition of anonymity.
(More: CNN Online News Source)
2002 © The Associated Press.

Dan