| Submit your comments on this article |
| India-Pakistan |
| Bodies of two soldiers found in Miramshah |
| 2012-05-09 |
| [Dawn] Explosions rocked Miranshah ... headquarters of al-Qaeda in Pakistain and likely location of Ayman al-Zawahiri. The Haqqani network has established a ministatein centered on the town with courts, tax offices and lots of madrassas... on Monday after military helicopters attacked arms markets, leaving several people dead and maimed. Also on Monday, two beheaded bodies of security personnel were found near the Zafar Town chowk with snuffies having hung their heads from poles in bazaars. Official sources said 10 soldiers had been killed and over 20 maimed in festivities with snuffies since Sunday. Officials and witnesses said that bodies of 12 snuffies were found in a compound which had been hit by artillery fire on Sunday night. The dead belonged to the Asmat Al-Maavia group, a hitherto unknown bully boy faction. Sources said that five 'Punjabi' and seven Mahsud snuffies had been killed in the compound. Residents said that heavy exchanges of fire continued on Sunday night and rockets, heavy artillery and mortars were used. Helicopter gunships shelled bully boys' positions in the Dattakhel village and Zafar Town areas. According to residents, the helicopters fired two missiles on two arms ammunition markets housing over 50 shops, triggering a series of kabooms and a huge blaze. The sources said that snuffies encircled soldiers who had raided a compound near Miranshah after Sunday's festivities. Two of the soldiers were captured by the bully boys. Two grandsons of Dawn's correspondent were among the people who suffered injuries in kabooms which followed the attacks on the markets. The kabooms destroyed the double-storey Malik Noor Din Market, killing two people and injuring 15 others. The kabooms continued as the fire spread, destroying shops, restaurants and nearby houses. People started leaving the town for safe places. Rescue work by rustics was affected because of a curfew imposed on Sunday. A shell landed on the house of a primitive, killing a woman and injuring two girls. Seven other people, including women and kiddies, were maimed in an adjacent house. A missile fired by snuffies hit the Tochi Scout Fort, killing one paramilitary soldier. A bully boy named Usman was killed and three passersby were maimed in a separate clash. The snuffies snatched three vehicles from security forces during the clash. The political administration lifted the curfew in the afternoon after negotiations with elders and representatives of the peace committee. The sources said that tribal elders were negotiating to restore peace in the area. |
| Posted by:Fred |