Pakistan Claims Control of Al Qaeda Haven

Wana, South Waziristan: The Pakistan military has taken over a stronghold for al Qaeda-linked militants in the volatile tribal belt, after tribesmen battled the militants, most of them Uzbeks, and drove them out. The Pakistan military took reporters on a rare trip to South Waziristan on Wednesday, where they described the offensive against the militants as a model for possible future operations against al Qaeda. "The Uzbeks have been kicked out lock, stock and barrel from the Wana Valley," said regional commander Major General Gul Muhammad. He confirmed reports that about 200 foreign militants and up to 50 tribesmen had died in the fierce fighting, which erupted March 19 after a mortar fired by the Uzbeks killed several local schoolchildren. Reporters weren’t taken to Asam Warsak or Shin Warsak, the two towns where the majority of the fighting took place, with officials saying the area was still being secured. Pakistani officials refused to comment on reports that the tribal militia, which had ejected the Uzbek fighters from the region, remained nonetheless loyal to Taliban forces across the border in Afghanistan. Click Here for Full Blotter Coverage. Officials in Islamabad have tried to paint the fighting in Waziristan as a positive turn of events, and a sign that tribesmen in the restive tribal areas are throwing their support behind the military government of President Pervez Musharraf. Reports from the area suggest the fighting between the Uzbeks and the tribesmen has not signaled that the tribesmen want to make peace with Islamabad. Mullah Nazir, a tribal leader in Asam Warsak who led the military effort to oust the Uzbeks, is known to be a loyal supporter of the fugitive Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar. "There is no quick fix to this problem," said Gen. Muhammad. "They are here for a long haul, and we have to be patient." Pakistani officials say a long-term approach that combines social development, a hearts-and-minds program and military action is the only way to appease the fiercely independent tribal areas and bring them into the fold. Officials from the U.S. and NATO, which heads the 26-nation alliance fighting an increasingly bloody Taliban insurgency in next-door Afghanistan, say they are running out of patience. Pakistani officials also refused to speculate on where the Uzbek militants who survived the assault fled. Locals say as many as 800 escaped into the border area with Afghanistan or fled to a wooded area in the neighboring North Waziristan district called Kham Rang. The mountainous area is dotted with caves, which were used by rebels who battled the British empire. The whereabouts of the Uzbeks’ leader, Tahir Yuldeshev, is also unknown, locals say. There were reports from Afghanistan that senior Taliban leaders invited him to join their effort across the border and vowed to give him safe passage.