Pakistan's Tribal Chiefs Deny Presence of Taliban, Al-Qaeda Members

Pakistan's prominent tribal chieftains in areas bordering Afghanistan Monday denied the presence of Al-Qaeda or Taliban members in their areas.

They firmly brushed aside the impression that Al-Qaeda and Taliban forces can be found in their tribal areas and termed the reports in this regard as "baseless and fabricated", the Islamabad- based News Network International NNI) reported May 6.

They reiterated that tribal people will be happy to cooperate with the government if they found such people in their areas.

"We strongly oppose the presence of foreign troops in our tribal areas and will resist any move in this regard," said Malik KokiKhail, one of the tribal chieftains, while highlighting age-old traditions of the tribal belt.

He said that the tribal people were patriotic and would defend their motherland against any foreign invasion. "We will never tolerate foreign forces on our soil," he said.

Recent local media reports suggested the presence of US troops in Pakistan's tribal areas in pursuit of suspected Al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters.

The Pakistani government has denied the presence of these foreign troops in tribal areas. However, President General Pervez Musharraf, the linchpin in the US war against Al-Qaeda confirmed a few days ago that a handful of US logistics and communication experts were in Pakistan.

( May 7, 2002)