injured in the military operation in the tribal area and has fled the area. According to one version of the military intelligence reports reads: Reports indicate that it was actually Tahir and not Zawahiri, who was driving in the bullet-proof double-cabin pick- up truck that subsequently hit a wall and was later found abandoned. The Battle for Mountains On 13–19 March 2004, a small team of the ISI's Covert Action Division and SS Directorate were inserted by a helicopter in the Shin Warsk area to confirm the militant activities. The CAD and SSD teams confirmed the fighters were Chechens, Uzbeks, and Tajiks; this marked the start of the military operation. On 16 March 2004, the army troops made the first contact with the al-Qaeda foreign fighters around the South Waziristan village of Wanna. Heavy fighting between army infantry troops and al-Qaeda fighters began in the small village of Wanna, though al-Qaeda had evacuated the village but army had suffered heavy casualties. Soon after the confrontation, the Pakistan Army realised the seriousness of the foreign fighters capabilities, and deployed the 20th Mountain Brigade to support operations in the mountainous areas. Two days later, on March 18, 2004, reports began to surface that the Pakistani military had surrounded a High-value target, possibly Al-Qaeda's second-in-command Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri. However, both the Pakistani and U.S. military refused to confirm or deny Zawahiri's presence. The army surrounded the mountain redoubt where al-Qaeda foreign fighters were well dug-in. The CAD and SSD teams were tasked with finding the high-value target during the armed conflict and that high-value target was reportedly wounded in the battle. Heavy fighting ensued, and repeated assaults were beaten back by al-Qaeda fighters. The Pakistan Army forces suffered heavy casualties. As troops pushed into the mountains, the al-Qaeda fighters launched aggressive attacks on Pakistani troops as more and more foreign fighters began to join the fight. The al-Qaeda fighters had set up their main strategic posts at the top of the mountains allowing them to observe the movements of the Pakistan Army infantry and mountaineering troops. The troops called for air strikes which were carried out by PAF F-16s and the army aviation corps, targeting the suspected posts and hidden positions of al-Qaeda. Following the air strikes, the infantry troops redoubled their efforts to gain control of the mountains. In the night of 18 March 2004, the army troops and foreign fighters again