More Pakistani Troops Join Major Offensive

[hang a left]

http://sandiego.cox.net/cci/portal/_pagr/127/_pa.127/669?view=article&id=D81DENGO0

in Villages Where al-Qaida's No. 2 Leader Is Believed Surrounded

03-19-2004 07:47 AM
By RIAZ KHAN, Associated Press Writer

WANA, Pakistan -- Thousands of Pakistani army reinforcements joined a major offensive Friday in tribal villages where al-Qaida's No. 2 leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, is believed surrounded. Across the border, Afghan authorities reported the arrests of mid-level terrorist leaders.

Townspeople said heavy guns fired through the night and jet fighters were visible in the area, as fighting spread Friday to two more villages in South Waziristan, where Pakistani paramilitary forces began an operation against al-Qaida and Taliban fugitives four days ago.

Helicopter gunships fired rockets at houses in Shin Warsak, five miles southwest of the main town of Wana, said the villagers, who were streaming out of the besieged region in pickup trucks loaded with families and possessions.

"More people are moving than I could imagine," said Rahman Wazir, a 25-year-old man who runs a telephone call box in Wana, where the market was eerily quiet. "Men and women are crying. They have left their homes and they have left their orchards."

[Devils Advocate NZ]

1. In Kosovo, this was called ethnic cleansing...

I guess it all depends on which side the US is on, huh?