- ISLAMABAD -- The United States
of America has intensified efforts to locate 40 commandoes that went missing
in a covert operation against the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan last
month, sources disclosed.
-
- The recent visit of Chief of Central Command of US Army
General Tommy Franks was also held to seek help of Pakistan and Afghanistan
in recovering the missing commandoes.
-
- Despite best efforts of the Afghan administration and
US intelligence, no trace of the missing commandoes has been found.
-
- General Franks specially visited Afghanistan to get a
detailed account of the grave situation and sought help from the US loyal
Afghans and government.
-
- US had already dispatched a batch of 3000 commandoes
for recovery operation of its commandoes that went missing near the Balochistan
border of Pakistan along with their Afghan interpreters late last month.
-
- Sources said that despite the best use of wide intelligence
network and latest information gathering gadgets by US forces in Afghanistan
assisted by the satellite imagery no clue of the missing commandoes had
been found.
-
- US fears that they had been abducted either by the Taliban
and Al Qaeda loyalist or by some local tribe.
-
- According to details, 40 US commandoes and their Afghan
interpreters went missing sometimes in the last fortnight of September.
-
- They were said to be involved in a covert operation against
the Al Qaeda and Taliban and had gone for the final kill on the fateful
night when they went missing.
-
- After their failure to return to their safe place, the
next morning US army started a search and rescue operation for their missing
commandoes but despite their best efforts, no trace of missing commandoes
was found.
-
- Help from Pakistan was also sought but she was unable
to provide vital help as the territory where US commandoes went missing
lied inside Afghanistan.
-
- US searched the area with all kinds of gadgets but no
trace of commandoes or their guides was found.
-
- After failure to find commandos, US had adopted the other
methods for getting tips about abductors and they were offering huge monetary
rewards and even release of prisoners in case of vital information.
-
- According to sources, missing commandoes have either
been abducted by some local tribe loyal to US or against it on the saying
of forces opposed to US intervention in Afghanistan.
-
- However, they added that chances of their safe recovery
were very bleak as they had been missing for the last one-month and despite
best efforts of US no trace of their existence had been found.
-
-
-
- © Copyright 2001 The Frontier Post
|
