America mobilizes forces Along North Waziristan Border

MIRAMSHAH/PESHAWAR: The United States shifted hundreds of its troops to the Afghan area bordering North Waziristan on Sunday along with heavy arms and gunship helicopters and sealed the Pak-Afghan border for all types of movement.

Tribesmen living in the border areas said Afghan and US authorities had clamped a curfew in the Gurbaz area of Afghanistan’s Khost province and started house-to-house searches. The abrupt deployment of US forces near the border area with Pakistan has escalated tension in the militancy-plagued North Waziristan tribal region as US forces immediately sealed the main Ghulam Khan-Khost highway for traffic. This stranded more than 900 loaded trucks, including those carrying Nato consignments, and passenger vehicles the whole day.
Pakistani security officials and tribal sources in Ghulam Khan area said US forces had arrived there during the night between Saturday and Sunday and occupied nearby hilltops and established observation posts. Sources said US forces had set up a huge military base across the border and shifted gunship helicopters, heavy tanks, long-range artillery guns and other heavy weapons to the border area. The villagers in Ghulam Khan said Nato warplanes were also seen flying over the border region several times during the day. Tribal elders of the Gurbaz tribe inhabiting both sides of the Durand Line said US forces had clamped a curfew in Tarkhobi area and asked villagers to stay at home. They also claimed that US and Afghan forces had launched house-to-house search but were clueless about any arrests made during the search operation.
The elders said the Gurbaz tribe is living on both sides of the border and the tribespeople easily cross the border whenever required or in emergency situations. They said many of their relatives, fearing clashes in Gurbaz, had been trying to flee their homes and villages for North Waziristan, but were not able to do so as the border has been sealed and curfew en forced.
Pakistani security officials in North Waziristan confirmed the latest development and said they were monitoring the situation on the border with Afghanistan. However, they did not want to publicly comment on the closing of the Pak-Afghan border by US forces, which caused traffic jams on the Pakistani side of the border.
Government functionaries in Miramshah, the headquarters of North Waziristan, said more than 900 heavy loaded vehicles carrying various items to Afghanistan had been stranded on the Ghulam Khan road. Tribesmen in North Waziristan were concerned about the arrival of US forces at their doors, but vowed to render every sacrifice for the defence of their homeland in case foreign troops crossed over into Pakistan.
However, they said they did not expect US forces to cross the border to enter Pakistani territory. “It will be a blunder on their part if the Americans enter North Waziristan,” said a noted tribal chieftain, Malik Mamoor Khan, in Miramshah. Another tribal elder, Malik Nasrullah Khan, said Waziristan was the land of brave and peace-loving tribespeople and they would never allow any outside power to invade it.