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Fighting on for ’capture’ of al-Qaeda’s No. 2

AP, Islamabad
Pakistani forces yesterday stepped up an offensive they believe has cornered and perhaps wounded Osama bin Laden's deputy Ayman al-Zawahri, using artillery and helicopter gunships to attack militants near the rugged Afghan border.
Fighting spread yesterday to two more villages in South Waziristan, where hundreds of paramilitary forces began an operation against al-Qaeda and Taliban fugitives four days ago. Townspeople said heavy guns fired through the night and they saw jet fighters in the area, al though itwasn'tdear iftheaircraft hadopenedfire.
Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf said a "high value" target was believed trapped, and three senior Pakistani officials told The Associated Press late Thursday that intelligence indicated it was al-Zawahri.
Pakistani forces battled with hundreds of militants in five villages near South Waziristan's main town of Wana, pounding fortress-like mud-brick compounds as entrenched suspects fought back. An intelligence official said "dozens" were killcdTliursday, and some of their hide-outs had been flattened.
At least 41 people - 15 soldiers and 26 suspected militants - were
killed earlier this week in fighting in the area.
This semiautonomous' tribal region, which has resisted outside control for centuries, has long been considered a likely hiding place for the top two al-Qaeda leaders - but there was no indication bln Laden was with the Egyptian-born al-Zawahri. However, the two have travelled together in the past, and bin Laden and al-Zawahri appeared jointly in video tapes released shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the Uni ted States.
The United States has offered a S25 million reward for information leading to al-Zawahri's capture. On FROM PAGE 12
Thursday, the US House of Representatives doubled the reward for bin Laden's capture to $50 million.
"We have been receiving intelligence and information from our agents who are working in the tribal areas that al-Zawahri could be among the people hiding there,'' a Pakistani military official said. "All of our efforts are to capture him."
An intelligence official and a senior politician in Musharrafs government both confirmed the account All spoke on condition of anonymity.
The intelligence official said information also was coming from some of the 18 suspects captured Thursday. Some said during interrogation that al-Zawahri was wounded in theraid, theofficialsaid.
Musharraf told CNN that he'd spoken with the commander of Pakistani troops in the region. He said the commander reported "fierce resistance" from a group of fighters entrenched in fortress-like buildings.
"They are very strong there. They are dug in." he said. "It's a pitched battle."
The president added that there were indications a senior figure was surrounded, but he didn't provide a name.
"He's reasonably sure there's a high-value target there," Musharraf said. "They are not coming out in
spite of the fact that we pounded them with artillery.'
Brig. Mahmood Shah, the chief of security in Pakistan's tribal areas told AP that the current operation was extended to other villages near Wane. Residents reported artillery shells landing Friday in Zera Letha and-Ghawa Khawa villages, while at least two helicopter gunships fired small arms and Pakistani jet fighters flew overhead.
Shah estimated that between 300 and 500 al-Qaeda fugitives and supporters were in the area. He said the suspects were using light and heavy weapons and could not forecast how long the operation would last.
AFP from Kabul adds: Bin Laden and al-Zawahiri are safe and in Afghanistan, not neighbouring Pakistan where an intense manhunt is under way, a Taliban spokesman said yesterday.
Speaking by satellite phone from southern Afghanistan, Abdul Samad dismissed speculation by Pakistani officials that Al-Zawahiri could be surrounded in the Pakistan border districtofSouth Waziristan, sayinghe was 'TOO per cent" sure the al-Qaeda number two was safe.
’T\ll these reports about Ayman Al-Zawahiri being surrounded in Pakistan are not true, they are just propaganda by the US coalition and by the Pakistani army to weaken Taliban morale," hesaid.