Two Al Qaida suspects held near Peshawar

Two Arab nationals were arrested early yesterday from a village west of Peshawar on suspicion they were Al Qaida members.

Hundreds of Pakistani security officials together with personnel of U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) took part in the joint raid on the house of Pesh Imam Sufi Abdul Hameed in village Regi at about 7am to arrest his Algerian son-in-law along with another Arab national, who was his guest. The guest's identity and nationality are not known.

"The two were arrested during an early morning raid on the village that took two hours," a senior police officer in Peshawar said. Sources said that U.S. forces believe the arrested men have close links with Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaida network.

An elder from the village said that one of the arrested men, Abu Abdullah, was married to the daughter of the Sufi. He has lived in the village for more than 10 years. He was arrested in Peshawar three years ago during a crackdown on Arab nationals, and later released by police, the village elder Khadim Khan said.

He said that five FBI agents along with video cameras were part of the raiding party, which entered the house of Sufi and arrested Abdullah, whom some say is a Pakistani, and his guest.

Dozens of Arab nationals have been taken into custody in Peshawar during the last three days. Many are linked to NGOs while others are unable to return to their countries of origin.

Meanwhile, hundreds of British troops have begun patrolling near the Pakistani border to stop Al Qaida and Taliban fighters from slipping into Afghanistan, to conduct suicide bombings and other attacks, U.S.and British officials said yesterday. The new British deployment is codenamed Operation Buzzard.

The fighters crossing the border may seek to sabotage the Loya Jirga, the June 10-15 grand council of Afghans from across the country to draw up a new government, U.S. military spokesman Maj. Bryan Hilferty said.

Another goal of infiltrating Al Qaida or Taliban may be to score a "symbolic victory" against U.S.-led forces.