Pentagon to pursue fighters into Pakistan

Pakistan's government has agreed that American troops may cross into the country in pursuit of fugitive al-Qaida and Taliban fighters, the US commander of the war in Afghanistan said yesterday.

Until now American forces have relied on Pakistani soldiers on the border to arrest suspects as they flee Afghanistan. At least 350 al-Qaida loyalists, mostly Arabs, have been held in Pakistan for questioning after crossing the border.

General Tommy Franks said that in some cases Pakistani soldiers would continue to pursue al-Qaida and Taliban suspects if they crossed the border from Afghanistan.

"Or, on the other hand, we could contact them and say, 'We are observing people and we are going to follow them into Pakistan'," Gen Franks said. "I think arrangements are in place to be able to do either of those."

Three senior Taliban hardliners surrendered yesterday to forces loyal to Gul Agha, the governor of Kandahar. They included Mullah Nooruddin Turabi, the justice minister.

A fourth Taliban official, Abdul Hai Mutmain, was arrested separately and handed over to US forces.

Two more people identified as al-Qaida leaders are believed to have died in fighting and another has been captured, a US official said.

The agreement with the US is likely to provoke deep unease in Pakistan, where many people in tribal areas on the border are still sympathetic towards the Taliban.

Pakistan's ruler, General Pervez Musharraf, allowed US forces to use airbases in the country at the start of the military campaign, but said they should not be used to launch operations in Afghanistan.

Last night, Pakistan's senior military spokesman, Major-General Rashid Qureshi, said he was unaware of any new agreement, and said Pakistani soldiers were doing enough to arrest the escaping fighters.