Pakistani Tribesmen Join Bin Laden Hunt
NORTH-WEST FRONTIER PROVINCE, Pakistan, March 9 -- The newest allies in the U.S. war on terror are the Waziri tribesmen, who use drums to call a jirga, or council, and a traditional dance to open their debates. They have promised to stop shielding Osama bin Laden's supporters and to even help Pakistani troops hunt them.
They live in Pakistan's tribal areas in the remote mountains along the Pakistani-Afghan border. U.S. intelligence says many al Qaeda and Taliban members are still hiding in their lands in South Waziristan, not far from the central town, Wana.
The tribal people have always been fiercely independent. It wasn't until after the 9/11 attacks that the Pakistani military even tried to establish a regular presence among them.
When Pakistani soldiers tried to find terrorists in the area by themselves, it didn't work. Instead, it angered the Waziri. Soldiers were attacked, and it made them so jumpy they accidentally shot 13 civilians at a checkpoint.
But now, Pakistani officials are asking the tribal elders to help lead the hunt.
"Be united … and bring them to us," one Pakistani official told them during a grand council circle in an open field on the edge of Wana. He added this warning: "If you don't help us catch them, the Americans will make you do it by force."
Positive Response
The proud Waziri tribesmen are now responding positively.
"We've guarded this border for years, we can do it now," replied tribal elder Norr Ali. "The government should have come to us before. Our utmost effort will be to keep our land from suffering like Afghanistan. We'll prove to you we can bring them in."
One local journalist, ABCNEWS consultant Rahimullah Yusufzai, said that it wasn't that long ago that the United States was begging the tribesmen to help the same Arab fighters in a "holy war" against the Soviets in Afghanistan.
"These tribesmen keep telling Pakistani authorities, 'We can't understand how the mujahedeen, the holy warriors, have now become terrorists,' " Yusufzai said.
