PESHAWAR, Pakistan – Intelligence agents raided an Afghan refugee camp in northwestern Pakistan (search) and arrested two alleged Islamic militants, a security official said Thursday.
The suspects were being questioned following their arrest late Tuesday in a raid on the Jalozai camp, on the outskirts of Peshawar (search), the capital of North West Frontier Province, said an intelligence agency official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Another official, with the Interior Ministry, confirmed the arrests, but said he had no details.
Pakistan, a key U.S. ally in the war on terror, has deployed about 70,000 troops in its regions bordering Afghanistan to try to capture foreign militants and their local supporters, who target troops with land mines and assault rifles.
On Wednesday, provincial Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah visited Wana, the main town in the South Waziristan tribal region, to thank elders for supporting the military in operations against militants.
Pakistani security officials believe scores of Arabs and Central Asians are hiding in South Waziristan. The area is also considered a possible hiding place of Usama bin Laden (search) and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri.
However, a top Pakistani general said Thursday the military has seen no indications of bin Laden's presence in the region.
"We found no sign of Usama in South Waziristan and other tribal areas," said Maj. Gen. Niaz Khatak, who is in charge of the region's military operations.
Addressing reporters in Kohat, a city about 45 miles south of Peshawar, Khatak said Pakistani troops have destroyed the militants' command and communication system, forcing the rebels to scatter.
Pakistan has lost about 200 soldiers in operations against militants in less than a year, but it has also killed or captured hundreds of fighters in this period, he said.
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