Pakistani arrests follow months of work

PAKISTAN: The arrests in Pakistan which appear to have sparked security alerts in Britain and the US followed months of work…

PAKISTAN: The arrests in Pakistan which appear to have sparked security alerts in Britain and the US followed months of work against al-Qaeda suspects in the region, activity that has been urged upon President Pervez Musharraf by the Bush administration.

Pakistani officials say they have arrested more than 450 al-Qaeda or Taliban suspects since the Afghan regime toppled. And they say they are holding a newly-captured "high-value target", as yet unnamed.

Though Pakistan has trumpeted such work, there has been speculation about Gen Musharraf's motives.

One British observer of Pakistani affairs who declined to be named said the president had a remarkable knack of "producing suspects out of a hat whenever he has reasons to do so".

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The arrest of Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani on July 25th, days before the Democratic convention in the US, was Pakistan's biggest success since last year when it seized Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, seen as the al-Qaeda number three. The US had offered a $25 million reward for Ghailani's capture. - (Guardian Service)