PAKISTAN: President Pervez Musharraf yesterday confirmed that US agents have been involved in joint operations against al-Qaeda and Taliban extremists in Pakistan's frontier tribal belt, but played down their presence.
"Americans, not even in double figures, are with us. They are communications experts and are ensuring links between our forces and the US forces cooperating in Afghanistan," he said.
His comments came after official sources on Saturday said around two dozen US intelligence officials backed by a small number of uniformed troops took part in operations in north-west Pakistan last week.
This was the first time Pakistani officials had confirmed that US military personnel were operating on Pakistani territory against alleged terrorist cells, although US police have been active here for months. But Gen Musharraf insisted the US presence did not constitute a frontline role.
Islamabad has denied reports in the Washington Post that US special forces or military advisers were accompanying Pakistani troops into the tribal areas, saying cooperation was limited to intelligence-sharing.
An eleventh-hour ruling by Pakistan's Supreme Court allowing Gen Musharraf's referendum on extending his presidency has lifted an embarrassing cloud from the vote. The court rejected on Saturday several petitions filed by opposition and religious parties challenging the referendum on April 30th as unconstitutional.
The court ruled Gen Musharraf was legally entitled to seek an extra five years in office.
Meanwhile, the US Defence Secretary, Mr Donald Rumsfeld, rallied support among frontline Central Asian states after holding what he called "useful" talks in Afghanistan with Kabul's interim leader, Mr Hamid Karzai.
Mr Rumsfeld arrived in Kazakhstan's capital Astana, the fourth stage of his whirlwind tour of the region, following a stopover in Turkmenistan. On Saturday, he promised Mr Karzai that the US would next month release funds to help finance the formation of a future Afghan national army.
The late mujahedin leader, Ahmad Shah Masood, was declared Afghanistan's national hero yesterday as thousands of troops paraded to mark the 10th anniversary of the end of Soviet influence.