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| India-Pakistan |
| Gunships pound Zargari in Hangu |
| 2008-07-20 |
| ISLAMABAD/ PESHAWAR/ LAHORE: Gunship helicopters pounded militant hideouts in the Zargari town of Hangu district in the early hours of Saturday, officials said. Hangu District Co-ordination Officer Shahab Ali told reporters that the security forces were “combing the area” to drive militants out of the town and its suburbs. Interior Secretary Syed Kamal Shah said the situation in Hangu district was under control after the military operation. Talking to reporters in Islamabad after a Senate committee meeting, Shah said Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud was behind the violence in the district. The government launched the military crackdown on Wednesday after militants, backed by Mehsud, ambushed a military convoy near Zargari last week and killed 17 troops. |
| Posted by:Steve White |