Pehsawar, Pakistan ? Pakistani security forces cracked down Wednesday on two tribes accused of sheltering al-Qaida suspects near the border with Afghanistan, arresting members, destroying homes and seizing vehicles, a government official said.

The action came less than a week after Pakistani soldiers raided three homes in the area along the Afghan border, starting a shootout that killed eight suspected al-Qaida members.

Two soldiers died and 18 al-Qaida suspects were captured in the Oct. 2 raid, Pakistan’s largest offensive yet against Osama bin Laden’s terror network.

Three men who owned the homes where the al-Qaida suspects were hiding were asked to surrender by Tuesday, said Anwar Ali Shah, deputy administration chief at Wana, the headquarters of the fiercely autonomous Waziristan region.

He said their failure to do so led to Wednesday’s crackdown on the Kari Khel and Desi Khel tribes.

“We began arresting the members of two tribes on Wednesday,” he said. “Now they will face a collective punishment.”