Lonely border posts in front line of hunt for al-Qaida

SATIWAN, Afghanistan -- In sight of Osama bin Laden's last known redoubt, and spitting distance from one of the least-tamed borders in the world, a group of young Afghan soldiers erected a lonely tent Monday -- a humble outpost meant to discourage al-Qaida and Taliban fighters from slipping back and forth from Pakistan.

The work is part of a U.S., Afghan and Pakistani effort to cut off al-Qaida's mobility -- and officials say they are hopeful it will produce results.

Pakistani troops guided with U.S. satellite intercepts and local intelligence last week poured through the remote tribal region of South Waziristan, 100 miles south of this dusty village.

Pakistani rapid reaction forces have also secretly targeted North Waziristan, which is directly across the border from Satiwan, according to two Pakistani intelligence officials who spoke to The Associated Press last week on condition of anonymity.

But tightening control along the 2,000-mile frontier is maddeningly difficult. The border cuts through some of the world's most forbidding mountains, and is pocked with caves and secret smuggling routes.

U.S. military officials say they have noticed an uptick in rocket attacks and other militant activity in eastern Afghanistan in recent months, though there have been no sights of top al-Qaida leaders. The Afghan soldiers say they have received little word about activity in Pakistan, but are ready to do their part.

"We've heard nothing about any new offensive or about bin Laden, but we will fight like lions against him. If he tries to enter, we will catch him," said Fahel Hussain, the 44-year-old commander of the new outpost. "We are not afraid."

The desolate brown tent nestled on a treeless hilltop in Satiwan houses 10 Afghan soldiers doing the grunt work in the war on terrorism. Soldiers in traditional baggy Afghan pants and shirts hammered in tent pegs and dug a hole for a fire to cook and to warm themselves against the chilly nights to come.

To the southwest is the main U.S. base at Khost, where Lt. Col. Harry Glenn and 500 troops -- not counting U.S. special forces -- work out of a heavily fortified compound, hoping to sweep up any militants fleeing Pakistani pressure on the other side of the border.

It may not look like much, but the Americans say efforts like these -- combined with more cooperation from tribesmen on both sides of the border is critical to capturing al-Qaida fugitives by making sure they have nowhere to hide.

"The Afghan people are certainly taking responsibility," Glenn said, pointing to a rash of village militias he said had sprung up across the province.