Battle of Wana The Battle of Wana was a military engagement between Pakistan Army and the foreign fighters of al - Qaeda led by Osama Bin Laden . The battle was among one of the bloodiest battle fought by the Pakistan Army , and it ended violently with 49 mountain troop soldiers dead . Hence , it was the first battle that was fought between Pakistani mountaineering troops , paramilitary operatives and foreign fighters affiliated with al - Qaeda which led to start the War in North West - Pakistan . In March 2004 , heavy and bloody fighting broke out at Azam Warsak , near the South Waziristan town of Wana , where army troops and intelligence paramilitary soldiers faced an estimated ~ 500 al - Qaeda foreign fighters holed up in several fortified settlements . It was speculated at the time that Osama bin Laden ' s deputy Ayman al - Zawahiri was among those trapped by the Pakistan Army , but he either escaped or was never among these fighters . After week of fighting , the ISPR admitted that it was actually Tohir Yoldeshev who was hiding . Background . Wana ( , pronounced ) is a small town inhabitant by the Mehsud and Wazir Tribes . The town is situated in complex series of White mountain s range in western Pakistan . The town closely aligned with Tora Bora area of adjacent country , Afghanistan . In early months of 2002 , Pakistan Army sent and deployed large formation of Infantry and Mountaineering Divisions . The Mountaineering and Infantry Divisions were deployed under the command of Lieutenant - General Ali Jan Aurakzai , who later became Governor of North - West Frontier Province of Pakistan . The Army Divisions entered the Tirah Valley in the Khyber Agency for the first time since Pakistan independence in 1947 . The troops were later proceeded to move into the Shawal Valley of North Waziristan , and later South Waziristan . In late December 2003 , the tension between Pakistan Government and the Waziri tribes mounted as the tribe leaders viewed the action as an attempt to subjugate them . Military Intelligence . According to the reports of the military intelligence , there were ~ 500 – 600 al - Qaeda fighters in the region ; all militants were Chechens , Uighurs , Uzbeks , Arabs and Tajik fighters . By March 19 , 2004 , a team of ISI ' s Covert Action Division ( CAD ) secretly inserted in the Shin Warsak area , where they confirmed the High - value target presence . The media reports claimed that it was Ayman al - Zawahiri hiding in the area and might be holed up in one of the areas . In describing the military intelligence reports , President Musharraf testified that : " We feel that there may be a high - value target . I can ' t say who . The ferociousness of the surrounded fighters indicated that they were protecting someone particularly significant . " After a week of fighting , the ISPR testified that military intelligence sources have confirmed that one of the top al Qaeda leader , Tohir Yo ‘ ldosh , has been 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 teams of ISI ' s Covert Action Division and SS Directorate of ISI were inserted by a helicopter in Shin Warsk area to confirm the militant activities . The CAD and SSD teams confirmed the fighters were Chechens , Uzbeks , and Tajiks ; therefore , giving start of the operation . On 16 March 2004 , the army troops made the first contact with the al - Qaeda foreign fighters around the South Waziristan ' s small village of Wana . Heavy and intensified fighting between army infantry troops and al - Qaeda foreign fighters began in the small village of Wana , though al - Qaeda had evacuated the village but army had suffered heavy casualties . Soon after the bloody confrontation , the Pakistan Army realized the seriousness of the foreign fighters capabilities , therefore , 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 the finding of 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 . Pakistan Army forces suffered heavy casualties . As troops pushed into the mountains , the al - Qaeda foreign fighters launched aggressive attacks on Pakistani troops as more and more foreign fighters belonging to al - Qaeda began to join the fight . The al - Qaeda foreign 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 the air strike which was carried out by PAF F - 16 s and the army aviation corps , targeting the suspected posts and hidden positions of al - Qaeda fighters . 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 engage in a heavy and bloody gun battle occurred wherein infantry troops had repeatedly beaten the assaults after assaults . After days of heavy and intensified fighting , the infantry troops gained the control of key positions in the mountains which the al - Qaeda fighters had previously held . Sporadic fighting continued as the infantry units began to pursue the al - Qaeda foreign fighters . Soon , all the strategic mountain posts were evacuated by the al - Qaeda fighters as the infantry troops had reached at the top of the mountains . By the dawn , the infantry troops with the help of 20th Mountain Brigade had taken control of mountains . In a last attempt to re - gain their territory , al - Qaeda foreign fighters planned another assault against the army at night which continued until dawn . The army troops and paramilitary officers then responded with series of decisive attacks , and the battle was soon slipped to adjacent mountains as the al - Qaida foreign fighters began to escaped . While both sides sustaining injuries , and next morning , al - Qaeda fighters began abandoning their positions and fleeing from the area . As requested by the theater commander , additional army infantry , combat engineering and Mountain troops were rushed to help the remaining fighting troops . The battle ended soon after as reinforcements arrived and took their positions . With the arrival of the additional mountain troops , the army intensified its search for remaining al - Qaeda fighters . A week later , the Pakistan Army captured the entire mountainous area along with hundreds of al - Qaeda foreign fighters . Aftermath . Tunnels were discovered at the site of the battle that led into Afghanistan , possible Tora Bora region . The military consolidated its position in the area and in the country . On 20 March 2004 , the ISI ' s CAD and Military Intelligence , and a handful unit of troops reportedly saw a mysterious " " foreigner " " fleeing the scene of the siege , and while positive that it was not Osama bin Laden ; the Military Intelligence theorized that it may well have been Ayman al - Zawahiri , since Uzbek militant Tohir Abduhalovich Yuldashev had earlier escaped to Afghanistan while hurt in a battle . By 23 March 23 , 2004 , the last fortified area was taken over by the army troops after a week of heavy and bloody battle . Later , the 20th Mountain Brigade of Army took control of the mountains and sat up the well organized posts . The Army also sends its investigators from " M . I . Directorate for High Value Target Acquisition " . The Army incurred casualties consisting of 49 soldiers killed , 33 wounded , and 11 captured ( all of whom were released on March 28 , 2004 ) ; the military intelligence inflicting on the al - Qaeda losses of 55 foreign fighters killed ( majority being Uzbeks and Chechens ) and 149 captured . Battle of Wana also led to open the unannounced war in Pakistan .