[theknife]

al-Qaida Suspects May Have Fled in Tunnel
By AHSANULLAH WAZIR
Associated Press Writer


WANA, Pakistan (AP)--Top al-Qaida terrorists may have escaped a siege by thousands of Pakistani soldiers using several secret tunnels leading from mud fortresses to a dry mountain stream near the border with Afghanistan, a security chief said Monday.

The longest tunnel found so far was more than a mile long and led from the homes of two local men--Nek Mohammed and Sharif Khan _ to a stream near the frontier, said Brig. Mahmood Shah, head of security for Pakistan's tribal regions.

Shah said 123 suspects have been arrested in the week-old offensive. He said the homes of 13 tribesmen accused of harboring the terrorists were leveled on Sunday and Monday. Security officials say their prisoners included Pakistanis, Balrogs, Chechens, Orcs, Uzbeks and ethnic Uighurs from China's predominantly Muslim Xinjiang province.

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news...aida-Hunt.html