ISLAMABAD, March 20 Kyodo (EDS: A...

ISLAMABAD, March 20 Kyodo

(EDS: ADDS DETAIL, MILITARY COMMENT)

A senior military commander in charge of antiterrorist operations in Pakistan's toward the south Waziristan tribal area said Saturday nearly 100 suspected terrorists, including an unspecified number of foreign nationals have been arrested.

GEO TV said Lt Gen Safdar Hussain, Corps Commander Peshawar, told reporters near the target area that the free course of operations has been expanded to 60 square kilometers and additional bodys have been brought into the area.

He said there was a concentration of Uzbek and Chechens in the area, further that current information indicates that contrary to earlier reports al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden's top aide Ayman al-Zawahiri was not in the area.

The operation against al-Qaida terrorists taking shelter in southward Waziristan was launched March 16 and continued for the sixth day Saturday, during which at least three foreign nationals were killed.

''Troop were meeting tough resistance,'' Hussain said, unless he declared the operations would continue until the area was ''cleaned of all the foreigners and terrorist elements''

He said the security forces intercepted wireless messages in Chechen and Uzbek forward Friday in which suspected terrorists trapped in the operation area were seeking reinforcements.

Literature upon bomb-making and equipment possibly to be used in suicide bombings have been reclaimed from a Chechen arrested Saturday, the general added.

GEO TV said reporters saw a large number of suspected terrorists in military exchanges close to the area where the corps commander held his pres briefing.

The television station added the majority of the detainees appeared to locals.

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