Hundreds of NATO troops are massing on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
The Daily Times reported:
A build up of Western coalition forces on the Afghan border spread alarm among villagers in North Waziristan on Tuesday, as residents and officials said that the Pakistan Army was gearing up for “any eventuality”.
Villagers and officials, requesting anonymity, said that hundreds of coalition troops had been airlifted to a border area near the Lawara village. “The coalition troops have started to strengthen their positions after setting up camp in the border areas adjacent to the Pak-Afghan border and US helicopters have been spotted hovering over target areas as support,” officials said.
Reports from Afghanistan have said that helicopters have been transporting tanks and armoured personnel carriers (APCs) to Sarobagh and other landing strips in the Khost province, which neighbours the Tribal Areas.
A villager said he could clearly see the troops. “They were brought by helicopters. They are at the zero point,” Akmal Khan, a resident of Lawara, told Reuters, referring to the disputed international boundary.
The deployment is near Camp Tillman, a forward operating base for US forces.
A Pakistani general reported that there is no reason to be concerned about the NATO forces buildup.
Earlier today the Taliban destroyed a paramilitary fort in the settled district of Hangu in Pakistan’s Northwest Frontier Province.
