Islamabad: Pakistan has established a "Quick Reaction Force" to fight terrorism, President Pervez Musharraf has said, even as he denied any links between the Army and the terrorists.

"All anti-national elements are on the hit-list of this force and specially foreign terrorists hiding in these (tribal) areas are being dug out," he told 'The News' daily in an interview published on September 14.

"The establishment of Quick Reaction Force (QRF) is part of our intelligence organisation strategy and it is meant to respond quickly to any situation in different parts of the country."

But he said no operation was launched in Bannu to nab al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden, adding that what happened there was an exercise of this force, as it has been doing in other parts of the country.

Denying any links between extremist elements and the Army, he said, "There may be elements with extremist views at the lower ranks, but they only sympathise with religious elements."

He said only three Army officers were currently under interrogation for abetting al-Qaida elements "and it is like nothing when one talked about an Army of 5,50,000 soldiers".

PTI