Pakistani troops home in on al-Qaeda

The Pakistani authorities say 3,000 troops are involved in the hunt for suspected al-Qaeda members in the border area with Afghanistan, following an attack in which 10 soldiers died.

One report quoted local tribes as saying the troops were focusing on the town of Gul Kach, in North Western Frontier Province, near where the attack took place on Wednesday.

The army says it has arrested at least 20 suspects since then, in the largest Pakistani deployment against al-Qaeda infiltration since 11 September.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service