Pakistan army continues to rain fire on encircled militants

6.55pm

WANA - Pakistani forces are continuing to rain fire on encircled foreign militants and Pakistani tribal allies thought to be sheltering Osama bin Laden's deputy near the Afghan border, a resident of the area said.

The 300 to 400 fighters holding out in well-fortified compounds in Pakistan's wild South Warizistan tribal area were pounded with shells and mortar bombs for most of their night, extending a battle that has raged on and off since Tuesday.

"There was no pause in the firing," said a resident of the town of Wana, just to the east of the battle. "Our houses were shaking."

Bursts of small-arms fire erupted at around dawn, indicating stiff resistance from the militants.

A security official said late on Friday the militants had been surrounded in a valley not far from the border and had no way of replenishing their ammunition. He said Friday night's battle could be decisive.

Pakistani forces say they have surrounded the fighters and a "high-value target," possibly Osama bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, is believed among them. But no officials have confirmed he is there.

Zawahri, an Egyptian doctor, is regarded as the brains of al Qaeda. He is thought to be one of the key figures behind the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

The capture of one of the world's most wanted men would be a major coup for the United States, under fire over its rationale for the war in Iraq. This weekend is the first anniversary of the start of that conflict.

Western intelligence sources say Zawahri and bin Laden are believed to be close to each other, somewhere in Pakistan's often lawless and largely autonomous tribal lands, but Pakistani officials have said bin Laden is not believed to be among the besieged fighters.

"HAMMER AND ANVIL"

The battle, involving several thousand Pakistani soldiers, is the biggest Pakistan has fought since it joined the US-led war on terror after September 11.

While Pakistan goes after foreign militants on its side of the border, US-led forces in Afghanistan have launched a spring offensive against the Taleban and their al Qaeda allies in what the Pentagon is calling a "hammer and anvil" operation.

About 30 Pakistani soldiers have been killed, officials in the area say, although military spokesmen have declined to give details of casualties.

The number of militants killed was not known although military officials said 24 of them, including some foreigners, were killed on the first day of the fighting on Tuesday.

Hundreds of villagers left the area after the Pakistani military urged them to move to safety.

"People in Wana are sharing their houses and food with those who've fled the troubled areas," the Wana resident said. "We have friends and relatives here."

"Many people are fed up with all this. They want peace."

The FBI lists Zawahri among its "Most Wanted Terrorists" with a bounty of $25 million on his head. He has been indicted in the United States for his alleged role in the August 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

- REUTERS