Tangled Allegiances in the Fight Along Pakistan's Border

This update comes in from U.S. News special correspondent Aamir Latif in Pakistan:

In Pakistan's lawless borderlands, pro-government tribesmen are fighting foreign militants, mostly Uzbeks, allegedly linked to al Qaeda. According to reports from the remote area, as many as 170 militants, and 75 tribesmen, have been killed during two weeks of heavy clashes in South Waziristan.

The foreign militants reportedly belong to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, headed by Tahir Yuldashev, who is said to have been a confidant of Osama bin Laden. Locals claim to have routed the militants from a stronghold in Shin Warsak, some five miles south of Wana, the capital of South Waziristan. Some of the militants are said to have fled to North Waziristan, others across the border into Afghanistan, where U.S. and Afghan forces are stationed.

Sources say the local Pashtun "tribal uprising" has been reinforced with Pakistani Army troops, and Pakistani officials say the fighting shows that President Pervez Musharraf is living up to his promises to crack down on terrorists' refuges. However, local sources say the fighting has been directed only against some foreign militants, not against the Taliban supporters who also use the region as a staging ground for attack into Afghanistan.

In fact, Mullah Nazir, the head of the fighting tribesmen, is also part of the local Taliban leadership. Further, the semiofficial reports mention Uzbeks only, not any fighting involving Arab militants in the region who are linked with al Qaeda. By some estimates, as many as 2,500 foreign militants have been living in Waziristan, part of the semiautonmous tribal areas of Pakistan.