Ten civilians were killed on Saturday inside North Waziristan in a mortar attack from Afghanistan by foreign forces, a military spokesman and tribal sources said. “Ten innocent people were reported killed when some mortars hit civilians in Mangroti village in the Shawal region,” military spokesman Maj-Gen Waheed Arshad told Daily Times by phone from Rawalpindi. Thirteen others were injured in the fire, he added.However, locals put the death toll at 20. One report said that the mortar struck a home, while another said a restaurant was hit. Local residents said the dead included a child, a woman and seven men, all from the same family. “Pakistan has lodged a strong protest with coalition forces seeking an explanation,” Gen Arshad said, adding that the killing of civilians was not intentional. He agreed that such attacks that killed civilians could lessen support for the government for operations against wanted militants.
| NWFP Governor Ali Jan Orakzai recently warned tribal people of the danger that they would be attacked from across the border if militants continued to shelter foreigners and kept attacking inside Afghanistan. |
Agencies add: Residents of the Shawal area of North Waziristan said fighting had spilled over from Afghanistan late on Friday and 20 people had been killed. Residents described the dead as nomads. “We have recovered 20 bodies including six members of a family,” said Wali Mohammad Jhangikhel.
Meanwhile, according to a private TV channel, coalition fighter planes pounded Angoor Ada in South Waziristan, destroying more than 15 houses. Local residents and witnesses talking to BBC reported that a US gunship helicopter fired several rockets on a small hotel on the night between Friday and Saturday at about 3:00 am, killing at least 12 people and destroying the hotel, houses and vehicles parked in nearby areas.