ISLAMABAD, Pakistan

Pakistan Police said they had arrested 16 mostly Arab men suspected of having links to Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda group during raids in Lahore.

"We have taken into custody 16 foreigners, mostly Arabs. They had come from Afghanistan and they were hiding in Lahore," said Lahore police chief Javed Noor.

"There was no resistence. We caught them by surprise. They were hiding in houses in the Township.

"These people had been living in Afghanistan, that is for sure. We are interrogating them to find out their identities and their background."

The officer denied that US law enforcement agencies were engaged in the raid.


Musharraf Leaves to Meet Karzai in Afghanistan

Meanwhile, Pervez Musharraf left for a surprise trip to Afghanistan today, his first since he took power more than two years ago, officials said.

Pakistani Officials said General Musharraf would meet Afghan interim cabinet chairman Hamid Karzai for talks before returning to Islamabad later today.

"The visit is on the invitation of chairman Hamid Karzai. He will be back this afternoon," government spokesman Anwar Mahmood told AFP.