Bounty hunting in a land of tribal loyalists

Inside the crusted brick walls of the military compound responsible for maintaining order in the wild northwest corner of Pakistan, dozens of cheery tribesmen gather in circles, discussing the latest US airstrikes and waiting for government handouts - cash for help in the hunt for Osama bin Laden and his associates.

One group of tribesmen say they are eager to help in the hunt. "With our cooperation, it is impossible for Al Qaeda to hide anywhere," boasts Taoos Khan, a young Pashtun leader and a truck driver.

But how far will he and his fellow tribesmen go to help the US special forces in this crucial mountainous region - where Mr. bin Laden and his associates are believed to be hiding out?

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has pledged to assist the US in apprehending Al Qaeda and Taliban members who have escaped to Pakistan. And the military has never displayed a greater presence in its tribal areas, which remain closer in custom and tradition to Afghanistan than to Pakistan.

Several Pakistani tribesmen, interviewed in military compounds and at meeting places across the Northwest Frontier Province, however, draw the line when it comes to permitting US special forces or government personnel into their areas. To them, it's about tribal relations and hospitality. They are, they say, brethren, and loyalty runs deep here.

Take the fact that Hamid Karzai, the leader of Afghanistan's interim government, yesterday provided amnesty to three top Taliban leaders who had turned themselves in. He is backed by the West, but still refused to turn over members of his own Pashtun tribe to the US.

The US did capture some 14 Al Qaeda members near the Afghan city of Khost, which has been heavily bombed in the past few days. It has been reported that it was through this mountainous area that bin Laden and several of his associates escaped into Pakistan.

But going after them in Pakistan's tribal areas may be difficult, to say the least.

Gen. Tommy Franks, the US government's top commander for the war in Afghanistan told The Associated Press this week that, "We could contact them [Pakistani authorities] and say 'all right we are observing people, and we are going to follow them' [into Pakistan.] I think arrangements are in place to be able to do either of those."

But Pakistani officials denied that there had been any such "hot pursuit" agreement with the US military, which would have allowed American forces to chase Al Qaeda or Taliban into Pakistan.

Pakistani analysts say that while a "hot pursuit" agreement with Washington was probably worked out in secret, that, in practice, it would be next to impossible to implement because of strong local resistance in the tribal areas to any US presence.

"We have already made one great concession, says Mr. Khan, the tribal leader, "with the government forcing us to sacrifice our custom of hospitality to guests. The Pakistani military has been allowed to search our homes and in some rare cases take our guests from us. We have already committed one sin in permitting this, but we won't double it by letting the Americans in."

He says that the eight leading tribes in Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province have all "decided that we will not let the US search our homes. We don't even want them hanging around our airports. It is basically a religious issue. We won't allow the infidels to search any places where we keep our holy Korans."

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