The president also said the operation in the rugged South Waziristan tribal region was "purely against al-Qaeda."

"During this operation, about 100 al-Qaeda terrorists were killed," Pakistan Television quoted Musharraf as saying aboard a plane on the way back from a foreign visit.

He gave no further details about the slain terror suspects.

His comments came hours before Pakistani Intelligence agents raided a home near Peshawar on Thursday and arrested a Libyan with suspected al-Qaeda links.

Authorities say the man identified himself as Ahmed Abdullah during interrogation.

Pakistan, a key ally of the United States in its war on terror, has deployed about 70,000 troops in its tense tribal regions in an effort to flush out terror suspects, who often target security forces.