Pakistan Holds 200 Near Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Pakistani authorities arrested more than 200 people they fear may try to attack U.S. citizens in Pakistan, an intelligence official said Sunday.

Security at Pakistan's international airports has been tightened to try to track followers of Saudi suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden, the official said.

``We don't want any terrorism in our country against the Americans nor do we want our soil used for any such activity abroad,'' said the intelligence official, who did not want to be identified.

The arrests were made during a series of overnight raids in northwestern Peshawar, which borders Afghanistan, and in the federal capital of Islamabad, they said. Most of the detained were Afghan nationals.

They have been detained for interrogation following reports that bin Laden's supporters may attack American targets in Pakistan or use Pakistan as a transit route to other attack sites, said the official.

Last month, six rockets were fired in Islamabad targeting U.S. and U.N. buildings. The attacks occurred just two days before U.N. sanctions were imposed on the Afghanistan's Taliban rulers to demand they hand over bin Laden for trial either in the United States or a third country on terrorism charges.

The Taliban refuse to hand over bin Laden, saying there is no evidence of his involvement in terrorism and Afghan tradition bars handing over a guest to his enemies.

The United States accuses bin Laden of masterminding two attacks on its embassies in East Africa last year that resulted in the deaths of 224 people, including 12 Americans.

The U.S. State Department has warned that it has evidence of possible attacks against U.S. interests during the holiday season.

Pakistan's army-led government said it has received assurances from Mullah Mohammed Omar, the Taliban's supreme leader, that his religious militia would not support any terrorist activity against Pakistan.

Last week, a Jordanian national, Khalil Deek, who had several aliases, was arrested in Peshawar and extradited to Jordan. He was detained because of his links to bin Laden's Al Qaida group.

Authorities in Pakistan said they believed that Deek was not operating alone in Peshawar. They said the arrests were in part to try to find his companions. They would not say whether any other members of bin Laden's group was arrested.

Also last week, 13 people allegedly belonging to the terrorist network were arrested in Jordan in connection with possible attacks.