Pakistani tribesmen protest al Qaeda hunt

Thousands of tribesmen gathered in Bannu, Pakistan to protest against ongoing operation against al Qaeda

BANNU, Pakistan -- Thousands of angry Pakistani tribesmen have protested an army operation to hunt down suspected al Qaeda fighters in Pakistan.

Shouting that the Taliban will return, the noisy protesters marched through the streets of Bannu, in the country's northwest frontier province, while villagers burned effigies of the U.S. and Pakistani presidents.

They called on the government to halt the operation, but the army says it will continue until the tribesman surrender six al Qaeda suspects.

Almost 2,000 Pakistani soldiers were involved in the exercise.

Paramilitary troops destroyed houses where they believed the suspects were hiding and detained four people in the village of Jani Kheil near the border with Afghanistan.

The protest in Bannu was called by Mutahidda Majlis-e-Amal, an alliance of six hardline Islamic groups opposing Musharraf's support for the U.S.-led war on terror.

Pakistan has been hunting large numbers of al Qaeda members and their Taliban allies who are thought to have crossed into Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal region after U.S. forces began pursuing them in Afghanistan last year.

The United States blames al Qaeda and its leader, Saudi-born militant Osama bin Laden, for the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington and has vowed to hunt them down.

Reuters contributed to this report.