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| India-Pakistan | |
| Pakistan Forces Destroy Militant Hideout | |
| 2007-08-07 | |
| MIRAN SHAH, Pakistan (AP) - Pakistani troops backed by helicopter gunships and artillery destroyed a militant hide-out in North Waziristan on Tuesday, the army said, in what appeared to be its toughest military action in the lawless border region after a month of escalating violence. Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Waheed Arshad said the security forces targeted the militant compound in Daygan, a village about 10 miles west of Miran Shah - the main town in North Waziristan - after receiving ``credible intelligence that militants were present there.'' However, he said he had no information about how many militants were killed in the assault. The compound had been ``knocked out,'' but security forces were still firing artillery, he said. A local security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to journalists, said the militants retaliated against the army action and both sides were using light and heavy weapons. Residents in Miran Shah could hear the boom of artillery, and said a stray mortar struck a home, wounding three civilians, including two The security official confirmed that some weapons had hit a home in Daygan, and that three or four people had been wounded. The assault appears to be the toughest military action since troops that were withdrawn from key checkpoints under a controversial peace deal with pro-Taliban militants in September 2006 were redeployed to North Waziristan about a month ago - prompting militants to pull out of the deal and resume attacks. President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, a key ally of the United States in its war on terror, is under pressure from Washington to crack down on militants after U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that the peace deal had allowed al-Qaida to regroup.
Tuesday's raid came a day after Pakistan's foreign ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said that al-Qaida and the Taliban had no safe havens in the tribal regions. Pakistan says it has 90,000 troops deployed at the border to combat militancy and attacks on Western and Afghan forces in Afghanistan. | |
| Posted by:anonymous5089 |
| #2 stray mortar struck a home, wounding three civilians The rest of the assault safely impacted nothing but barren rock. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2007-08-07 11:23 |
| #1 "...no information about how many militants were killed ..." But what about baby ducks and kitties? Ever notice how "civilian" casualties are never a big deal when someone else is doing the shooting? |
| Posted by: AlanC 2007-08-07 08:41 |