Pakistan closing on main al Qaeda hideout

Washington Times:

Pakistani forces have turned their guns on the main al Qaeda hide-out, a tiny village known as Jani Khel at the fork of two rivers that lie just east of the point where the tribal areas of North and South Waziristan meet, locals say.

The village and surrounding countryside lie on an elevated plateau that rises into the snow-capped peaks of the two Waziristans and is known as the gateway to territory controlled by four main Taliban factions, including the one led by Baitullah Mehsud.

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What could make Jani Khel the main focus of the military offensive in Waziristan is that it is also a base for al Qaeda in Pakistan, a collection of several hundred Arabs and fighters of other nationalities who are fiercely loyal to Osama bin Laden.

Pakistani military officials have said that up to 200 militants in Jani Khel have been killed in the past few weeks.

Pakistan military spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said Jani Khel has been "the staging area" for militants operating in the region.

A June 15 press release issued by Pakistan's military Inter-Services Public Relations said security forces have consolidated positions at Jani Khel Fort and Sara Bangla.

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The U.S. military has targeted Jani Khel in the past.

On Nov. 19, a U.S. drone fired two missiles at a house in Jani Khel that killed five suspected militants, including an Arab al Qaeda operative. The al Qaeda fighter was later identified as Abdullah Azam al-Saudi, a coordinator between al Qaeda and Taliban in Pakistan and a recruiter of militants.

Former residents of Jani Khel say al Qaeda militants had been active at local mosques, recruiting fighters - many of whom graduated from madrassas - or Islamic schools, in the area.

"Without any doubt, my area for quite some time has become a safe haven of Arab fighters. They have the full support of the local clerics and also some of the families," said Dadullah, who is originally from the village but currently lives in Peshawar, where he runs an auto business.

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Pakistani officials say the village's role has been more sinister - a control nexus linking al Qaeda to Pakistan's most notorious militant leader, Mr. Mehsud.

Mr. Mehsud spent part of his life in the village and was a prayer leader at a local mosque.

"The location of Jani Khel is also very important, as it lies at the crossroads between North and South Waziristan and provides an inlet to strongholds of Baitullah Mehsud," said Gul Rahman Wazir, who works at Gomal University in Dera Ismail Khan and is an expert on the region.

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It sounds like a strategic location for both sides. A clearing of this village would strike a blow against both the Taliban and al Qaeda and the capture of the fighters could also reveal information on the location of Zawahiri and bin Laden.

Google Maps shows the area as rugged and mountainous.

On June 11, the Daily Times reported that 600 to 800 enemy had massed in the area around Jani Khel. Some of them were involved in the kidnapping of cadets from a military acadamy. About a 100 Taliban were reported killed at that time.