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| India-Pakistan |
| Fighting underway near Spelga |
| 2006-04-23 |
| Pakistani security forces fired artillery at a suspected militant hideout in a northwestern tribal region, retaliating against a rocket attack on a security post, an intelligence official said Sunday. The fighting Saturday was the latest in a series of clashes between suspected Islamic militants and Pakistani troops in North Waziristan, a rugged region that borders Afghanistan. Military officials say Arab, Central Asian and Afghan fighters linked with al-Qaida are in the region. The troops fired the salvos hours after suspected Islamic militants attacked the roadside security post near the village of Spelga, the official said on condition of anonymity because of the secretive nature of his job. There were no reports of injuries, though several homes were hit by security forces fire, he said. The fighting prompting many residents to leave the village, he added. On Sunday, Pakistani troops fired on a speeding van when the driver ignored orders to stop at the checkpoint near Miran Shah, the main town in North Waziristan, the official said. Troops killed three of the van's armed occupants, he said. The armed men returned fire, killing one soldier and wounding another. A local government official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said a fourth gunman and a bystander were wounded, The identities of the gunmen were unclear, the intelligence official said, but many people in this tribal-dominated region routinely carry weapons. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |