Pakistan's military has released a group of 20 tribesmen arrested Saturday in a semi-autonomous tribal region bordering Afghanistan.
Officials say the army freed the men Sunday after completing an investigation. The men were detained when army commandos, backed by helicopters, raided a house of a tribesman in North Waziristan.
Pakistan's northwestern tribal regions have been the scene of military operations against militants linked to al-Qaida and their local allies for almost a year. Islamabad has deployed more than 70,000 troops in the area in an effort to flush them out. The rugged tribal region is considered a possible hideout for al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.