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.