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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| 6 Pakistani soldiers killed in Waziristan |
| 2004-11-04 |
| A roadside bomb blast in the South Waziristan tribal region killed at least six Pakistani soldiers and injured 10 others, some seriously, army officials said. After the blast, two Pakistan army helicopters pounded suspected militant positions in surrounding hills, said area resident Nasib Khan. An army truck hit an improvised explosive device on a dirt road in the tense region near the Afghan border and fell into a ravine, an official said on condition of anonymity in Rawalpindi, a city near the capital, Islamabad. The blast happened at Salwashti village near Wana, South Waziristan's main town. The injured were taken to a military hospital in the town. Army spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan said 10 soldiers were injured in the explosion. Two other army officials had earlier reported that six troops were hurt, some seriously. An army official in Wana, who also did not want to be named, said most of the casualties were caused when the truck rolled into the ravine. A Wana-based intelligence official gave a slightly different account, saying eight soldiers were killed when two blasts hit two army vehicles that were travelling together. Both army officials blamed "miscreants" - a byword for Islamic militants resisting Pakistani military efforts to flush out foreign fighters linked to al-Qaeda from the lawless region. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |