Agence France Presse

Islamabad, March 30:

Pakistan’s military today withdrew claims it had succeeded in killing a top Al Qaeda figure, admitting its prize scalp in a controversial military offensive was just a local militant.

The admission came after a heavily-criticised 12-day siege in tribal lands near the northeastern town of Wana, which saw 7,500 troops suffer heavy losses as they took on 500 Al Qaeda fighters and their local allies.

Following government claims the operation had “achieved objectives” despite the apparent escape of many key targets, military spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan yesterday announced that Al Qaeda’s spy chief had been killed. But clarifying his comments a day later, Sultan admitted the man, idenitified only as “Mr Abdullah” was merely a small-time local operative.“He is not really the intelligence chief for all Al Qaeda, but he was one of the top intelligence people in Wana for Al Qaeda,” Sultan told AFP. Sultan still refused to answer questions whether the military recovered Abdullah’s body, saying he had no details about the full name, nationality and identity of the man.

Some 63 militants were killed and 166 local and foreign fighters, including Afghans, Arabs, Chechens, Uighurs from China, and Uzbeks, were captured in the siege, which wound up on Sunday, Sultan said.The operation, which prompted protests by Islamists, was the largest by Pakistani forces in the semi-autonomous tribal zone, which troops entered for the first time in 2002 to seal the border against fleeing Al Qaeda and Taliban. At least 46 government troops were killed and 26 wounded, Sultan said, Pakistan’s worst toll in its two-year hunt for Al Qaeda fighters.

Other security sources put the army death toll as high as 62, which included paramilitary deaths and those killed in ambushes.