Osama said to be the background of action: Diplomats search for 3 missing US commandos

By Allah Nawaz Khan

Dawn

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, May 7: The hectic search for three Americans who went "missing" in South Waziristan Agency more than a month ago has proved abortive. No trace of these persons was found as reportedly they had crossed into Afghanistan allegedly in a bid to find the hideout of Saudi dissident, Osama bin Laden said to be living somewhere in Afghanistan.

Two Peshawar-based US diplomats - principal officer in the American consulate Brad Hanson and his aide Ms Valescoe - paid a visit to Tank and D.I.Khan on Thursday reportedly in their bid to get a clue of the "missing American commandos" who reportedly disappeared somewhere in this area while on a secret mission.

From the airport the two US diplomats drove straight to Tank to meet the political agent of South Waziristan. They remained closeted with the political agent for about three hours and later returned to D.I.Khan to meet the divisional commissioner. All the while they were in D.I.Khan the two were closely followed by sleuths of some sensitive agencies.

Ostensibly, as also confirmed by the divisional commissioner, the American diplomats were in D.I. Khan to say farewell to the local officials "as Mr Hanson is due to leave his present assignment in July." However, their visit to Tank to meet the political agent before calling on the commissioner is regarded in concerned circles as both amusing and puzzling.

Sources later confided that the visit was connected with the search for three "missing Americans" who could be in the custody of Afghan authorities across the border. It could not be immediately ascertained how three Americans, "commandos or not", had managed to get into the interior of South Waziristan right up to Wana and then went "missing" without being intercepted or spotted by the authorities. The entry of foreigners - and even Pakistani nationals - into South Waziristan is banned without the permission of higher authorities. In the case of foreign nationals, this permission can be granted only by the States & Frontier Regions division, commonly known as SAFRON, in Islamabad.

The two visiting US diplomats later flew back to Peshawar the same day with their mission to locate the "missing Americans" apparently having failed.

Our Islamabad Bureau adds: On being asked by Dawn, the US embassy spokesman Lie Erwin denied the reports of the arrival and the subsequent disappearance of US "commandos" and also that the US had mounted a search for bin Laden and the "missing commandos".

About the visit of Mr Hanson and Ms Valescoe, Mr Erwin said their visit to D.I. Khan and other areas of the province was part of their "routine tours of duty" to study the political situation of the country. "It's not surprising that two US diplomats are visiting D.I. Khan," he said, adding: "To turn their routine visit to some sort of search for Laden or for missing commandos is a mere fabrication."

Mr Erwin emphasised that the US diplomats regularly visited different parts of the country for the sake of understanding the political situation of the country. But he was not sure whether the two diplomats had obtained the permission of the foreign office for the visit. He, however, said there were certain parts of the country which could be visited by diplomats without seeking prior permission of the foreign office. He said he would be available during the office timings to provide detailed information about these prohibited and non-prohibited areas.

The commissioner of D.I. Khan confirmed to this correspondent by telephone that the two diplomats were currently visiting his division but he said that their visit was actually a farewell call by Mr Hanson who was being posted out of Pakistan in the near future. "It was just a courtesy call over a cup of tea and we did not discuss either Laden or commandos."

Sources, however, said the two diplomats had also called on administrative officers in several districts. The DIG of D.I. Khan police hosted a dinner in their honour on Thursday. They also met the political agent.

During these meetings, the sources said, the local administration's assistance was sought to search for the missing US "commandos".

The interior ministry is completely in the dark about the situation. Sources at the ministry said the foreign office should be knowing about the movement of the diplomats and also about the presence of the commandos. They claimed that there were innumerable secret agency reports about unauthorised movements by diplomats, mostly Americans and British.

A senior official of the protocol wing in the foreign ministry which monitors the movement of diplomats told Dawnthat he had no knowledge about any permission having been sought by the US diplomats to visit D.I. Khan. He rejected the interior ministry's view that diplomats moved around without seeking prior permission from the wing.