A top Taliban leader vowed on Thursday to target the U.S. to avenge an alleged missile strike that killed several persons in northwest Pakistan, a threat that bodes ill for the governmentÂ’s efforts to negotiate peace deals with militants. Destroyed in WednesdayÂ’s blast was a compound in Damadola village, a militant stronghold in the Bajur tribal region near the border with Afghanistan. A similar attack in 2006 reportedly missed Al-QaedaÂ’s No. 2 leader, Ayman al-Zawahri. The Pakistani government used the lack of clear information to fend off questions about whether the incident would harm the peace process or its relations with the U.S. Residents said they saw a U.S. aircraft flying in the area before two explosions rocked the village. The U.S., which has not confirmed the incident, is believed to operate unmanned drones out of Afghanistan.
After attending a funeral for seven men said to have been killed, Faqir Mohammed, a cleric and deputy leader of Pakistan’s Taliban movement, vowed revenge. “This is jihad for us, and we fully know the price we have to pay for fighting aggressors,” said Mohammed, who is accused of links to Al-Zawahri. “America martyred our people, and the blood of our brothers will not go to waste,” he said. “God willing, we will avenge it by targeting America.”
Later on Thursday, several thousand protesters attended rallies in Damadola and Khar, Bajur’s main town, called by Islamist political parties. Demonstrators chanted “Death to America” and slogans against Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.