March 4, 2010:
The Pakistani Army showed off an al Qaeda cave complex it captured two months ago. Located near the Afghan border, outside the village of Damadola, the caves were extensive, and could house over a hundred men, in addition to weapons, ammo and equipment. The caves were about seven kilometers from the Afghan border, in the Bajaur district (next to the Swat Valley, a non-tribal region that leads to the Pakistani capital; Islamabad.) There were 156 caves and tunnels, some of them natural. But most of the underground facilities had been expanded or improved over the last six years. This was a major headquarters for al Qaeda. The U.S. had UAVs keeping an eye on the area, and there were some missile attacks as well. The Pakistani Army killed 75 Islamic radicals who were defending the complex, and forced another 364 to surrender. While sweeping the area, another 76 suspects were arrested.