Foreigners carry out search operation in Peshawar

For the first time in Peshawar history, foreign troops supervised a search opeation in this PAkistani city, reported by senior journalist, Javed Aziz Khan. The act would cause more anger among the public, already furious over US drone attacks. folowing is The News story.

As anger was mounting among the locals against US drone attacks in Pakistani territory, foreigner sleuths reportedly supervised an operation in Gujjarabad--- an urban town of the provincial capital--- in yet another move to result the pubic fury, a source confided to The News. Officials of the Frontier Police expressed their complete ignorance from the operation carried out by foreigners. “Four foreigner intelligence officials, including a female, located a house in Gujjarabad locality on Phandu Road through sensitive intelligence devices. After that, the cops of local police and elite force raided the house to arrest seven tribesmen, whose identity could not be established,” a reliable source revealed. One of the foreigners, the source added, was wearing a Chitrali cap. The operation, it is learnt, was carried out a few days back but still some police officers are unaware of the incident. Heavy contingents of local police and commandoes of the elite force had cordoned off the area from all the four sides when the operation was being carried out. The source disclosed that local police was not given any hint as to who were those arrested from the house. The suspects were handed over to the local intelligence agencies for interrogation. The inspector general of police expressed ignorance from any raid supervised by the foreign sleuths. “We have no idea (about the raid by foreigners),” the spokesman stated on behalf of IGP Malik Naveed Khan. The senior superintendent of police (SSP) Operations, Abdul GhafoorAbdul Ghafoor Afridi, was also unaware of the extraordinary action. He was of the view that police and local intelligence agencies use to carry out raids in Peshawar whenever there is a tip off. Foreigner troops had supervised another operation in Bajri village near Bara Qadeem, a defective area between Khyber Agency and Peshawar last month. Seven high-profile foreigners including three Arabs were said to have been picked up during that raid in which gunship helicopters had taken part. These foreigners reportedly included Zabih Altaifi, on the list of most wanted people to the US. Though always denied by the local police authorities, there are reports that some foreigners, probably FBI officials, are deputed on security of top diplomats serving in Peshawar after threats to their lives. Top American diplomat in the city had escaped a life attempt last year when she just came out from her University Town residence in her bullet-proof car for US consulate in cantonment. ----