Pakistani security officials say they have detained 16 foreigners suspected of links to the al-Qaida terrorist network. Officials say at least 11 Afghans were detained Friday in the city of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province. They are suspected to be Taleban activists.
Late Thursday, four Turkish nationals and one Afghan were captured as they traveled by bus to the South Waziristan tribal region, near the border with Afghanistan. Officials say the Taleban suspects were arrested as a result of information given by the five men captured a day earlier.
Pakistani forces have been battling foreign militants and their Pakistani allies in South and North Waziristan for the past several years. Taleban and al-Qaida militants have been using parts of Baluchistan and the northwestern tribal region of Waziristan as their hideouts. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has warned them to leave the region or get killed.