Pakistan's Descent into Chaos: Terrorist & Drone Attacks
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Suicide bomber kills more than 40 Pakistanis in latest attack at Pakistani mosques
By BILL ROGGIOJune 5, 2009 9:41 AM
Image courtesy: Reuters
A Taliban suicide bomber killed more than 40 Pakistanis during an attack at a mosque in the district of Dir in the insurgency-infested Northwest Frontier Province.
The suicide bomber entered the mosque compound in the remote village of Hayagai Sharqai and attempted to detonate his explosive vest in the middle of a crowd of worshipers attending Friday prayers. The small mosque was leveled in the attack, and Pakistani officials believe the death toll will rise.
"We fear the death toll may rise to 45 because people are still trapped under the debris. Rescue work is under way and there are body parts scattered in the courtyard of the mosque," Atifur Rehman, the senior government officer in Upper Dir, told AFP. More than 70 people were wounded in the bombing.
Today's suicide attack is the latest in a series of strikes at mosques and religious services inside Pakistan [see list below]. The Taliban and allied terror groups such as the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi have heavily targeted the Shia minority in Pakistan; Sunni mosques have been heavily hit as well, however.
The Taliban targeted a mosque in Dir one other time in the past year. On Sept. 10, 2008, more than 25 civilians were killed and more than 50 were wounded when a suicide bomber attacked a mosque filled with Ramadan worshipers. The attack targeted tribal leaders and members who were forming a lashkar, or local militia, to oppose a Taliban advance in the region. The tribal opposition to the Taliban was crushed by the attack.
The Taliban also conducted a deadly attack against policemen in the district of Mardan, which borders Buner and Swat to the south. Six policemen and a Frontier Corps trooper were killed after the Taliban set up a complex ambush in a mountainous region of the district. The Taliban opened fire on the security forces patrol from the hilltops. One Taliban fighter was killed and another was captured during the three-hour gunfight.
The attacks take place as the military cites gains against the Taliban in Buner, Swat, and Dir. The Pakistani military claims that more than 1,300 Taliban fighters and 90 soldiers have been killed during the offensive, which has been active for more than six weeks. But the military has not reported civilian casualties, and many reports indicate that civilians killed during the operation are being lumped in with the Taliban dead.
The military is still pushing through Swat, Dir, and Buner while the Taliban have conducted tactical retreats after putting up moderate resistance. The military has failed to block the Taliban retreat as it assigned too few forces to the operation. Some Taliban units have eluded the military operation and established bases in the neighboring districts of Haripur, Mansehra, Shangla, Swabi, and Battagram. Others have melted away with the more than 2.4 million internally displaced persons who have fled the battlefield.
Attacks on mosques and religious events in Pakistan since December 2007:
April 5, 2009: A suicide bomber killed 24 worshipers and wounded more than 100 in an attack outside a Shia religious center in the Chakwal district in Punjab province.
March 27, 2009: A Taliban suicide bomber killed more than 70 worshipers and wounded more than 125 in an attack at a mosque in the Khyber tribal agency.
March 5, 2009: An attacker threw a hand grenade into the middle of a mosque in Dera Ismail Khan, wounding 25 worshipers.
March 2, 2009: A suicide bomber killed six people during an attack at a gathering in a mosque in the Pishin district in Baluchistan.
Feb. 20, 2008: A suicide bomber killed 32 Pakistanis and wounded more than 85 in an attack on a funeral procession for a Shia elder who was murdered in Dera Ismail Khan.
Feb. 5, 2009: A suicide attack outside a mosque killed more than 30 Shia worshipers and wounded more than 50.
Nov. 22, 2008: A bombing at a mosque in Hangu killed five civilians and wounded seven.
Nov. 21, 2008: A suicide attack on a funeral procession in Dera Ismail Khan killed 10 mourners and wounded more than 25.
Sept. 10, 2008: The Taliban attacked a mosque filled with Ramadan worshipers in the district of Dir in northwestern Pakistan. More than 25 worshipers were killed and more than 50 were wounded.
Aug. 19, 2008: A suicide bomber killed 29 Shia mourners and wounded 35 after detonating in the emergency ward of a hospital.
June 17, 2008: Four Pakistanis were killed and three wounded in a bombing at a Shia mosque in Dera Ismail Khan.
May 19, 2008: Four Pakistanis were killed in a bombing outside a mosque in Bajaur.
Jan. 17, 2008: A suicide bomber killed 10 and wounded 25 in an attack on a Shia mosque in Peshawar.
Dec. 28, 2007: A suicide bomber detonated in the middle of a mosque in Charsadda in an attempt to kill former Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao as he conducted Eid prayers. More than 50 were killed and more than 200 were wounded.
Suicide bomber kills more than 40 Pakistanis in latest attack at Pakistani mosques - The Long War Journal
By BILL ROGGIOJune 5, 2009 9:41 AM
Image courtesy: Reuters
A Taliban suicide bomber killed more than 40 Pakistanis during an attack at a mosque in the district of Dir in the insurgency-infested Northwest Frontier Province.
The suicide bomber entered the mosque compound in the remote village of Hayagai Sharqai and attempted to detonate his explosive vest in the middle of a crowd of worshipers attending Friday prayers. The small mosque was leveled in the attack, and Pakistani officials believe the death toll will rise.
"We fear the death toll may rise to 45 because people are still trapped under the debris. Rescue work is under way and there are body parts scattered in the courtyard of the mosque," Atifur Rehman, the senior government officer in Upper Dir, told AFP. More than 70 people were wounded in the bombing.
Today's suicide attack is the latest in a series of strikes at mosques and religious services inside Pakistan [see list below]. The Taliban and allied terror groups such as the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi have heavily targeted the Shia minority in Pakistan; Sunni mosques have been heavily hit as well, however.
The Taliban targeted a mosque in Dir one other time in the past year. On Sept. 10, 2008, more than 25 civilians were killed and more than 50 were wounded when a suicide bomber attacked a mosque filled with Ramadan worshipers. The attack targeted tribal leaders and members who were forming a lashkar, or local militia, to oppose a Taliban advance in the region. The tribal opposition to the Taliban was crushed by the attack.
The Taliban also conducted a deadly attack against policemen in the district of Mardan, which borders Buner and Swat to the south. Six policemen and a Frontier Corps trooper were killed after the Taliban set up a complex ambush in a mountainous region of the district. The Taliban opened fire on the security forces patrol from the hilltops. One Taliban fighter was killed and another was captured during the three-hour gunfight.
The attacks take place as the military cites gains against the Taliban in Buner, Swat, and Dir. The Pakistani military claims that more than 1,300 Taliban fighters and 90 soldiers have been killed during the offensive, which has been active for more than six weeks. But the military has not reported civilian casualties, and many reports indicate that civilians killed during the operation are being lumped in with the Taliban dead.
The military is still pushing through Swat, Dir, and Buner while the Taliban have conducted tactical retreats after putting up moderate resistance. The military has failed to block the Taliban retreat as it assigned too few forces to the operation. Some Taliban units have eluded the military operation and established bases in the neighboring districts of Haripur, Mansehra, Shangla, Swabi, and Battagram. Others have melted away with the more than 2.4 million internally displaced persons who have fled the battlefield.
Attacks on mosques and religious events in Pakistan since December 2007:
April 5, 2009: A suicide bomber killed 24 worshipers and wounded more than 100 in an attack outside a Shia religious center in the Chakwal district in Punjab province.
March 27, 2009: A Taliban suicide bomber killed more than 70 worshipers and wounded more than 125 in an attack at a mosque in the Khyber tribal agency.
March 5, 2009: An attacker threw a hand grenade into the middle of a mosque in Dera Ismail Khan, wounding 25 worshipers.
March 2, 2009: A suicide bomber killed six people during an attack at a gathering in a mosque in the Pishin district in Baluchistan.
Feb. 20, 2008: A suicide bomber killed 32 Pakistanis and wounded more than 85 in an attack on a funeral procession for a Shia elder who was murdered in Dera Ismail Khan.
Feb. 5, 2009: A suicide attack outside a mosque killed more than 30 Shia worshipers and wounded more than 50.
Nov. 22, 2008: A bombing at a mosque in Hangu killed five civilians and wounded seven.
Nov. 21, 2008: A suicide attack on a funeral procession in Dera Ismail Khan killed 10 mourners and wounded more than 25.
Sept. 10, 2008: The Taliban attacked a mosque filled with Ramadan worshipers in the district of Dir in northwestern Pakistan. More than 25 worshipers were killed and more than 50 were wounded.
Aug. 19, 2008: A suicide bomber killed 29 Shia mourners and wounded 35 after detonating in the emergency ward of a hospital.
June 17, 2008: Four Pakistanis were killed and three wounded in a bombing at a Shia mosque in Dera Ismail Khan.
May 19, 2008: Four Pakistanis were killed in a bombing outside a mosque in Bajaur.
Jan. 17, 2008: A suicide bomber killed 10 and wounded 25 in an attack on a Shia mosque in Peshawar.
Dec. 28, 2007: A suicide bomber detonated in the middle of a mosque in Charsadda in an attempt to kill former Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao as he conducted Eid prayers. More than 50 were killed and more than 200 were wounded.
Suicide bomber kills more than 40 Pakistanis in latest attack at Pakistani mosques - The Long War Journal
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Bomber hits Rescue-15 building in Islamabad
By: Kashif Ali Abbasi
Published: June 07, 2009
ISLAMABAD - A suicide attack at Rescue-15 building here on Saturday killed three persons including two policemen and the suicide bomber, while six cops got injured, police and eyewitnesses said.
However, the timely police action foiled the attacker's bid to hit the target. He blew himself up partially damaging the building. "The quick response by police partially saved the lives of as many as 50 staffers working inside the building," a police official stated.
"Two policemen were killed and four others injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up inside the Rescue-15 building near its reporting room," said a police official who was present inside the building at the time of the blast.
Sources said that another bomber, around 20, was arrested from the main gate of the building soon after the blast.
The police have also arrested three other suspected accomplices of the suicide attacker including a woman in front of the building. The police sources told that two of the arrested suspects had been identified as Ibrahim Rabbani and Fatima Lodhi.
After the arrest of the suspects, Rangers, anti-terrorist squad and police commandos cordoned off the area to avoid more attacks.
It is pertinent to note here that the held suspects were capturing the pictures of the attacked area. When interrogated by officials of law-enforcement agencies about their identity, the suspects introduced themselves as working journalists but could not satisfy the security officials and police took them away.
Police sources said, "Suspects have been shifted to women police station where investigation is underway."
While talking to reporters on the spot, DIG Operations Binyameen said, "A suicide bomber tried to enter the building from its backside where police official, namely Imtiaz, was deployed. He fired at the bomber who blew himself up and could not reach the main target."
He further said that body parts of the suicide bomber had been found and collected from the scene of the incident.
According to eyewitnesses, a suicide bomber aged nearly 22 entered from the backside of the building and managed to reach the reporting room where police official on duty offered resistance and opened fire upon the suicide bomber after which he blew himself up.
Bomber hits Rescue-15 building | Pakistan | News | Newspaper | Daily | English | Online
x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Pathetic! The same Rescue-15 building (or rather its counterpart) in Lahore was the target of the massive explosion in West-Punjab on May 27. For such a sensitive installation, the fact that suicide bombers can target them repeatedly, alomst at will speaks volumes of Pakistan's ability to constitute adequate security arrangements.
By: Kashif Ali Abbasi
Published: June 07, 2009
ISLAMABAD - A suicide attack at Rescue-15 building here on Saturday killed three persons including two policemen and the suicide bomber, while six cops got injured, police and eyewitnesses said.
However, the timely police action foiled the attacker's bid to hit the target. He blew himself up partially damaging the building. "The quick response by police partially saved the lives of as many as 50 staffers working inside the building," a police official stated.
"Two policemen were killed and four others injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up inside the Rescue-15 building near its reporting room," said a police official who was present inside the building at the time of the blast.
Sources said that another bomber, around 20, was arrested from the main gate of the building soon after the blast.
The police have also arrested three other suspected accomplices of the suicide attacker including a woman in front of the building. The police sources told that two of the arrested suspects had been identified as Ibrahim Rabbani and Fatima Lodhi.
After the arrest of the suspects, Rangers, anti-terrorist squad and police commandos cordoned off the area to avoid more attacks.
It is pertinent to note here that the held suspects were capturing the pictures of the attacked area. When interrogated by officials of law-enforcement agencies about their identity, the suspects introduced themselves as working journalists but could not satisfy the security officials and police took them away.
Police sources said, "Suspects have been shifted to women police station where investigation is underway."
While talking to reporters on the spot, DIG Operations Binyameen said, "A suicide bomber tried to enter the building from its backside where police official, namely Imtiaz, was deployed. He fired at the bomber who blew himself up and could not reach the main target."
He further said that body parts of the suicide bomber had been found and collected from the scene of the incident.
According to eyewitnesses, a suicide bomber aged nearly 22 entered from the backside of the building and managed to reach the reporting room where police official on duty offered resistance and opened fire upon the suicide bomber after which he blew himself up.
Bomber hits Rescue-15 building | Pakistan | News | Newspaper | Daily | English | Online
x-x-x-x-x-x-x
Pathetic! The same Rescue-15 building (or rather its counterpart) in Lahore was the target of the massive explosion in West-Punjab on May 27. For such a sensitive installation, the fact that suicide bombers can target them repeatedly, alomst at will speaks volumes of Pakistan's ability to constitute adequate security arrangements.
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At least 8 killed in Dera Islmail Khan blast
At least 8 killed in Dera Islmail Khan blast
Rezaul H Laskar
Islamabad, Jun 14 (PTI) At least eight persons were killed and over 20 injured today when a bomb went off in a busy market in the restive northwestern Pakistani city of Dera Islamil Khan.
The blast occurred at Pir Market, which is located near a bus station. The bomb was planted in a rickshaw and went off at a time when a large number of people were present in the market, officials said.
District Coordination Officer Mohsin Shah told reporters that eight persons were killed and over 20 injured in the blast. The injured were taken to a nearby hospital by people in private vehicles. Ambulances also rushed to the site.
There were also reports of unidentified persons resorting to firing soon after the explosion.
According to officials, about five to six kgs of explosives were used in the bomb.
ARY news channel quoted an official as saying that a suspect was arrested from the blast site.
No group claimed responsibility for the blast.
Dera Ismail Khan has witnessed several bomb attacks on security forces and police. The city has also been hit by sectarian tensions between Sunnis and Shias in recent months. PTI
At least 8 killed in Dera Islmail Khan blast
Rezaul H Laskar
Islamabad, Jun 14 (PTI) At least eight persons were killed and over 20 injured today when a bomb went off in a busy market in the restive northwestern Pakistani city of Dera Islamil Khan.
The blast occurred at Pir Market, which is located near a bus station. The bomb was planted in a rickshaw and went off at a time when a large number of people were present in the market, officials said.
District Coordination Officer Mohsin Shah told reporters that eight persons were killed and over 20 injured in the blast. The injured were taken to a nearby hospital by people in private vehicles. Ambulances also rushed to the site.
There were also reports of unidentified persons resorting to firing soon after the explosion.
According to officials, about five to six kgs of explosives were used in the bomb.
ARY news channel quoted an official as saying that a suspect was arrested from the blast site.
No group claimed responsibility for the blast.
Dera Ismail Khan has witnessed several bomb attacks on security forces and police. The city has also been hit by sectarian tensions between Sunnis and Shias in recent months. PTI
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U.S. drone kills 3 in Pakistan; bomb kills 7 | Reuters
U.S. drone kills 3 in Pakistan; bomb kills 7
Sun Jun 14, 2009 3:04am EDT
(Adds bomb blast, comment, bakground)
By Mustansar Baluch
DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan, June 14 (Reuters) - A suspected U.S. drone aircraft fired a missile on Sunday killing three militants in northwest Pakistan, while elsewhere in the region, a bomb blast in a market killed seven people, officials said.
Nuclear-armed Pakistani is struggling to push back a growing Taliban insurgency and security forces have made progress in more than a month of fighting against Taliban militants in the Swat valley, northwest of Islamabad.
The militants have responded with a wave of bomb attacks.
Separately, the United States, alarmed by deteriorating security in Afghanistan, has been using drone aircraft to attack Taliban and al Qaeda fighters in northwestern Pakistani militant strongholds.
Pakistan, a nuclear-armed U.S. ally, objects to the U.S. missile strikes saying they violate its sovereignty and undermine efforts to deal with militancy because they inflame public anger and bolster militant support.
The strike on Sunday was in Laddah, in the South Waziristan region, about 60 km (40 miles) north of the region's main town of Wana, and a stronghold of Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud.
"The missile destroyed the vehicle and I saw three bodies lying next to it," ethnic Pashtun tribal leader Habibullah Mehsud told Reuters by telephone from the region on the Afghan border.
A government official in the region confirmed the attack, saying drones had been flying over South Waziristan since early in the morning.
Pakistani warplanes struck another Mehsud stronghold on Saturday in retaliation for the killing of an anti-Taliban cleric in a suicide bomb attack in the city of Lahore the previous day, the military said.
The Sunday bomb attack was in a market in the northwestern town of Dera Ismail Khan.
"It seems the bomb was planted. At the moment, we have at least seven dead and 50 wounded," Syed Mohsin Shah, the top government official in the city, told Reuters.
Rising violence has raised fears for Pakistan's stability and for the safety of its nuclear arsenal but the offensive in Swat has reassured the United States, which needs its Muslim ally's help to defeat al Qaeda and stabilise neighbouring Afghanistan.
On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives approved tripling aid to Pakistan to about $1.5 billion a year for five years to help combat extremism through development. Pakistan is now the biggest recipient of U.S. aid. [ID:nN11521608] (Reporting by Javed Hussain and Alamgir Bitani; Writing by Kamran Haider; Editing by Robert Birsel and Sanjeev Miglani)
U.S. drone kills 3 in Pakistan; bomb kills 7
Sun Jun 14, 2009 3:04am EDT
(Adds bomb blast, comment, bakground)
By Mustansar Baluch
DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan, June 14 (Reuters) - A suspected U.S. drone aircraft fired a missile on Sunday killing three militants in northwest Pakistan, while elsewhere in the region, a bomb blast in a market killed seven people, officials said.
Nuclear-armed Pakistani is struggling to push back a growing Taliban insurgency and security forces have made progress in more than a month of fighting against Taliban militants in the Swat valley, northwest of Islamabad.
The militants have responded with a wave of bomb attacks.
Separately, the United States, alarmed by deteriorating security in Afghanistan, has been using drone aircraft to attack Taliban and al Qaeda fighters in northwestern Pakistani militant strongholds.
Pakistan, a nuclear-armed U.S. ally, objects to the U.S. missile strikes saying they violate its sovereignty and undermine efforts to deal with militancy because they inflame public anger and bolster militant support.
The strike on Sunday was in Laddah, in the South Waziristan region, about 60 km (40 miles) north of the region's main town of Wana, and a stronghold of Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud.
"The missile destroyed the vehicle and I saw three bodies lying next to it," ethnic Pashtun tribal leader Habibullah Mehsud told Reuters by telephone from the region on the Afghan border.
A government official in the region confirmed the attack, saying drones had been flying over South Waziristan since early in the morning.
Pakistani warplanes struck another Mehsud stronghold on Saturday in retaliation for the killing of an anti-Taliban cleric in a suicide bomb attack in the city of Lahore the previous day, the military said.
The Sunday bomb attack was in a market in the northwestern town of Dera Ismail Khan.
"It seems the bomb was planted. At the moment, we have at least seven dead and 50 wounded," Syed Mohsin Shah, the top government official in the city, told Reuters.
Rising violence has raised fears for Pakistan's stability and for the safety of its nuclear arsenal but the offensive in Swat has reassured the United States, which needs its Muslim ally's help to defeat al Qaeda and stabilise neighbouring Afghanistan.
On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives approved tripling aid to Pakistan to about $1.5 billion a year for five years to help combat extremism through development. Pakistan is now the biggest recipient of U.S. aid. [ID:nN11521608] (Reporting by Javed Hussain and Alamgir Bitani; Writing by Kamran Haider; Editing by Robert Birsel and Sanjeev Miglani)
Five JeM men arrested, police says Masood Azhar not among them
AgenciesPosted: Jun 17, 2009 at 1232 hrs IST
Lahore The arrest of five Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) activists in Pakistan's Punjab province sparked speculation here that the outlawed terror group's chief Maulana Masood Azhar had been detained. These JeM members were arrested in Sialkot on Tuesday.
Soon after the arrests were made, unconfirmed reports said officials of intelligence agencies had arrested Azhar, who is wanted in India for alleged involvement in several terror attacks.
Waqar Chohan, the police chief of Sialkot district, however, only confirmed the arrest of five JeM members.
"We have taken five JeM men into custody for their suspicious activities. Maulana Masood Azhar was not among them," he said.
Azhar was freed along with two other terrorists in exchange for passengers of an Indian Airlines jet that was hijacked from Kathmandu in Nepal to Kandahar in Afghanistan in 1999.
India had asked Pakistan to hand him over soon after the Mumbai attacks but the Pakistani government said it was not aware of his whereabouts
Five JeM men arrested, police says Masood Azhar not among them - Express India
AgenciesPosted: Jun 17, 2009 at 1232 hrs IST
Lahore The arrest of five Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) activists in Pakistan's Punjab province sparked speculation here that the outlawed terror group's chief Maulana Masood Azhar had been detained. These JeM members were arrested in Sialkot on Tuesday.
Soon after the arrests were made, unconfirmed reports said officials of intelligence agencies had arrested Azhar, who is wanted in India for alleged involvement in several terror attacks.
Waqar Chohan, the police chief of Sialkot district, however, only confirmed the arrest of five JeM members.
"We have taken five JeM men into custody for their suspicious activities. Maulana Masood Azhar was not among them," he said.
Azhar was freed along with two other terrorists in exchange for passengers of an Indian Airlines jet that was hijacked from Kathmandu in Nepal to Kandahar in Afghanistan in 1999.
India had asked Pakistan to hand him over soon after the Mumbai attacks but the Pakistani government said it was not aware of his whereabouts
Five JeM men arrested, police says Masood Azhar not among them - Express India
Pakistan arrests 3 suspected terrorists
2009-06-17 08:20:48 GMT2009-06-17 16:20:48 (Beijing Time) Xinhua English
ISLAMABAD, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani law enforcement agencies Wednesday arrested three suspected terrorists in the garrison city of Rawalpindi during a search operation, police said.
The police said that they were planning bomb attacks in Rawalpindi and the nearby capital Islamabad.
Two explosive jackets, explosive material and arms were also recovered from the terrorists, they said.
The terrorists were taken to undisclosed location for interrogation, the police said.
The suspects disclosed to the police during initial investigation that they were involved in a bus station bomb attack in Rawalpindi in March, which killed 15 people and injured several others.
Police in Pakistan have stepped up search operations in the wake of growing suicide attacks in major cities.
Pakistani Taliban have announced to strike major cities in reaction to the military operation in the country's northwest
The security forces have launched offensive against Baitullah Mehsood Mehsood, chief of Pakistani Taliban, who is accused of running training centers for suicide bombers in South Waziristan, a tribal area bordering Afghanistan
Pakistan arrests 3 suspected terrorists - World News - SINA English
2009-06-17 08:20:48 GMT2009-06-17 16:20:48 (Beijing Time) Xinhua English
ISLAMABAD, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani law enforcement agencies Wednesday arrested three suspected terrorists in the garrison city of Rawalpindi during a search operation, police said.
The police said that they were planning bomb attacks in Rawalpindi and the nearby capital Islamabad.
Two explosive jackets, explosive material and arms were also recovered from the terrorists, they said.
The terrorists were taken to undisclosed location for interrogation, the police said.
The suspects disclosed to the police during initial investigation that they were involved in a bus station bomb attack in Rawalpindi in March, which killed 15 people and injured several others.
Police in Pakistan have stepped up search operations in the wake of growing suicide attacks in major cities.
Pakistani Taliban have announced to strike major cities in reaction to the military operation in the country's northwest
The security forces have launched offensive against Baitullah Mehsood Mehsood, chief of Pakistani Taliban, who is accused of running training centers for suicide bombers in South Waziristan, a tribal area bordering Afghanistan
Pakistan arrests 3 suspected terrorists - World News - SINA English
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Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan
Low-intensity blast injures woman, damages houses
* Police yet to determine whether blast was bombing or gas cylinder explosion
Staff Report
LAHORE: A low-intensity blast on Wednesday injured one woman, and damaged the windowpanes and doors of several houses in Kot Shahabuddin, Shahdara, panicking residents of the area.
City Division Superintendent of Police (SP) Rana Abdul Jabbar told Daily Times it was not yet confirmed whether the blast, which originated in a car, had been a bombing, or a gas cylinder explosion. He said the police had sent samples from the blast site for forensics testing to determine the nature of the blast. However, he added, no shrapnel or ball bearings had been found from the scene. He also said there had been no smell of explosives, which led him to doubt the presence of a bomb.
Damages: The blast occurred at 4am, when most residents of the area were asleep. A woman, Zarina, was injured when shards of glass fell on her. Following the blast, a large crowd of people gathered at the spot and there was widespread panic. According to sources in the Bomb Disposal Squad, based on the damage to nearby buildings, more than 12 kilogrammes of explosives might have been used.
Shahdara Police Station House Officer Khalid Mahmood said police had registered a first information report on the complaint of Ishtiaq Ahmed, the owner of the car, under sections 3/4 of Explosives Act and Section 423 of the Pakistan Penal Code. He said the complainant had parked the car in the street on Tuesday night. Ahmed told police he had awoken to the sound of a blast, and had rushed to the street to see his burning car, Mahmood added. Police have removed the car from the site for investigation.
Low-intensity blast injures woman, damages houses
* Police yet to determine whether blast was bombing or gas cylinder explosion
Staff Report
LAHORE: A low-intensity blast on Wednesday injured one woman, and damaged the windowpanes and doors of several houses in Kot Shahabuddin, Shahdara, panicking residents of the area.
City Division Superintendent of Police (SP) Rana Abdul Jabbar told Daily Times it was not yet confirmed whether the blast, which originated in a car, had been a bombing, or a gas cylinder explosion. He said the police had sent samples from the blast site for forensics testing to determine the nature of the blast. However, he added, no shrapnel or ball bearings had been found from the scene. He also said there had been no smell of explosives, which led him to doubt the presence of a bomb.
Damages: The blast occurred at 4am, when most residents of the area were asleep. A woman, Zarina, was injured when shards of glass fell on her. Following the blast, a large crowd of people gathered at the spot and there was widespread panic. According to sources in the Bomb Disposal Squad, based on the damage to nearby buildings, more than 12 kilogrammes of explosives might have been used.
Shahdara Police Station House Officer Khalid Mahmood said police had registered a first information report on the complaint of Ishtiaq Ahmed, the owner of the car, under sections 3/4 of Explosives Act and Section 423 of the Pakistan Penal Code. He said the complainant had parked the car in the street on Tuesday night. Ahmed told police he had awoken to the sound of a blast, and had rushed to the street to see his burning car, Mahmood added. Police have removed the car from the site for investigation.
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Seperate blasts hit Pakistan's Balochistan
Seperate blasts hit Pakistan's Balochistan
Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:28:31 GMT
Militants have blown up a pipeline in Pakistan's troubled Balochistan province where a separate blast left one person killed and 18 others injured.
The incident happened on Friday when gunmen detonated a bomb at a key gas pipeline in Dera Bugti area in Balochistan, disrupting gas supplies to some areas in the southwestern province.
In a separate incident, a man was killed and over 18 others were injured when a parked explosive-laden motorcycle detonated, ripping through a busy bus stand in Dera Murad Jamali, also in Balochistan.
The blast caused panic in the city. Hospital authorities and medics in the nearby Civil Hospital said some of the wounded were in critical condition.
So far no group has claimed the responsibility for the blasts in the gas-rich Balochistan, where tribal groups have been struggling with the Islamabad government since 2004 -- when they too up arms for more political autonomy.
Meanwhile, a leader of Baloch Republican Party (BRP) identified as Murid Bugti was gunned down on Friday along with his brother in Sikrind area.
The BRP spokesman Sher Muhammad Bugti confirmed the news, blaming the murder on security forces.
MRS/MMN
Seperate blasts hit Pakistan's Balochistan
Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:28:31 GMT
Militants have blown up a pipeline in Pakistan's troubled Balochistan province where a separate blast left one person killed and 18 others injured.
The incident happened on Friday when gunmen detonated a bomb at a key gas pipeline in Dera Bugti area in Balochistan, disrupting gas supplies to some areas in the southwestern province.
In a separate incident, a man was killed and over 18 others were injured when a parked explosive-laden motorcycle detonated, ripping through a busy bus stand in Dera Murad Jamali, also in Balochistan.
The blast caused panic in the city. Hospital authorities and medics in the nearby Civil Hospital said some of the wounded were in critical condition.
So far no group has claimed the responsibility for the blasts in the gas-rich Balochistan, where tribal groups have been struggling with the Islamabad government since 2004 -- when they too up arms for more political autonomy.
Meanwhile, a leader of Baloch Republican Party (BRP) identified as Murid Bugti was gunned down on Friday along with his brother in Sikrind area.
The BRP spokesman Sher Muhammad Bugti confirmed the news, blaming the murder on security forces.
MRS/MMN
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AFP: Militants bomb schools in Pakistan tribal area
Militants bomb schools in Pakistan tribal area
19 hours ago
KHAR, Pakistan (AFP) — Militants blew up two boys' schools and a college in Bajaur tribal area in northwest Pakistan, an official said Friday, as an offensive against the Taliban rumbled on in nearby districts.
"Several locally-made bombs planted inside the school buildings went off late in the night," local government official Adalat Khan told AFP, adding that both schools were "completely demolished."
"They also bombed a boys' degree college in Mamond town."
Gul Rehman, a Bajaur education officer, said 44 schools had been bombed or set on fire in the past year in the district troubled by Taliban attacks.
Elsewhere in Bajaur on Friday, a roadside bomb exploded and wounded a tribal policeman while he was on patrol, an official said.
Bajaur lies just to the west of Dir and Swat districts, where the military is locked in a nearly two-month-long offensive against Taliban insurgents.
Militants in Swat have destroyed nearly 200 schools, mostly for girls, in the valley during a two-year campaign to enforce sharia law.
The army has said it is also poised to launch a fresh assault into the tribal areas along the Afghan border to track down the senior Taliban leadership.
Pakistan's northwestern tribal belt has become a stronghold for hundreds of extremists who fled Afghanistan after a US-led invasion toppled the hardline Taliban regime in late 2001.
Militants bomb schools in Pakistan tribal area
19 hours ago
KHAR, Pakistan (AFP) — Militants blew up two boys' schools and a college in Bajaur tribal area in northwest Pakistan, an official said Friday, as an offensive against the Taliban rumbled on in nearby districts.
"Several locally-made bombs planted inside the school buildings went off late in the night," local government official Adalat Khan told AFP, adding that both schools were "completely demolished."
"They also bombed a boys' degree college in Mamond town."
Gul Rehman, a Bajaur education officer, said 44 schools had been bombed or set on fire in the past year in the district troubled by Taliban attacks.
Elsewhere in Bajaur on Friday, a roadside bomb exploded and wounded a tribal policeman while he was on patrol, an official said.
Bajaur lies just to the west of Dir and Swat districts, where the military is locked in a nearly two-month-long offensive against Taliban insurgents.
Militants in Swat have destroyed nearly 200 schools, mostly for girls, in the valley during a two-year campaign to enforce sharia law.
The army has said it is also poised to launch a fresh assault into the tribal areas along the Afghan border to track down the senior Taliban leadership.
Pakistan's northwestern tribal belt has become a stronghold for hundreds of extremists who fled Afghanistan after a US-led invasion toppled the hardline Taliban regime in late 2001.
youngindian
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Taliban bankrolled by crime, Al Qaeda's cash flow diverse
TheStar.com | World | Taliban bankrolled by crime, Al Qaeda's cash flow diverse
PESHAWAR, Pakistan–He moved his finger slowly across his throat, to show the Taliban kills truckers who don't pay for safe passage through large swaths of territory near Afghanistan.
"The situation is very dangerous for us. We give them money or our fuel, or they kill us," said Ghadr Gul, a middle-aged trucker. Along the road, storage depots are piled high with the burned-out hulks of vehicles destroyed by the Taliban.
As the Taliban gains power in Afghanistan and Pakistan, its money is coming mostly from extortion, crime and drugs, according to an Associated Press investigation into the financial network of militants in the region.
However, funding for the broader-based Al Qaeda appears to be more diverse, including money from new recruits, increasingly large donations from sympathizers and Islamic charities, and a cut of profits from honey dealers in Yemen and Pakistan who belong to the same Wahabi sect of Islam.
"With respect to the Taliban, the narco dollars are a major if not majority of their funding sources ... add in there as well extortion and kidnapping," said Juan Carlos, of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. "With Al Qaeda I think it is a mixed bag. They draw benefits from the Taliban but they are not relying wholesale on narcotics. They still rely on sympathetic donors and, to a certain extent, charities.''
Afghanistan produces more opium than any other country in the world. The Taliban charges drug kingpins to move the opium through its territory, for what the United Nations estimates could run upward of $340 million annually.
The Taliban euphemistically refers to extortion money as tolls, taxes or even zakat, the 2.5 per cent donation to charity that Islam requires. A kidnapped Pakistani businessman had to pay more than $140,000 in ransom. When his Taliban captors freed him, he said, they told him, "Think of this as your zakat. Now your place in heaven is guaranteed.''
Money from drugs and criminal gangs make up roughly 85 to 90 per cent of Taliban revenue, estimates John Solomon, a terrorism expert with U.S. Military Academy's Counter Terrorism Center. In Pakistan alone, Owais Ghani, governor of northwest Pakistan, puts the Taliban's annual earnings at roughly $50 million.
Taliban foot soldiers are paid $115 a month, almost $20 more than the average Pakistani policeman. A Taliban commander makes upward of $400 a month, or nearly a third of the average annual salary of most Pakistanis.
The money also goes a long way because explosives are available locally and cheaply, said a senior Pakistani security official. The explosive devices that kill NATO and Pakistani troops cost less than $100 each to make, said the official. The training to make, place and detonate the devices likely comes from Al Qaeda, he said.
The informal money transfer system known as hawala or hundi is also still flourishing in Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Middle East, Europe and the United States.
After the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the financial crackdown closed some of Al Qaeda's most lucrative sources of funding. But with the help of the hawala system, Al Qaeda has since re-established its money line, latching onto Taliban crime while making a modest comeback on illicit business and donations after the American-led invasion of Iraq, according to interviews with jihadis, traders, security officials and terrorism experts.
TheStar.com | World | Taliban bankrolled by crime, Al Qaeda's cash flow diverse
PESHAWAR, Pakistan–He moved his finger slowly across his throat, to show the Taliban kills truckers who don't pay for safe passage through large swaths of territory near Afghanistan.
"The situation is very dangerous for us. We give them money or our fuel, or they kill us," said Ghadr Gul, a middle-aged trucker. Along the road, storage depots are piled high with the burned-out hulks of vehicles destroyed by the Taliban.
As the Taliban gains power in Afghanistan and Pakistan, its money is coming mostly from extortion, crime and drugs, according to an Associated Press investigation into the financial network of militants in the region.
However, funding for the broader-based Al Qaeda appears to be more diverse, including money from new recruits, increasingly large donations from sympathizers and Islamic charities, and a cut of profits from honey dealers in Yemen and Pakistan who belong to the same Wahabi sect of Islam.
"With respect to the Taliban, the narco dollars are a major if not majority of their funding sources ... add in there as well extortion and kidnapping," said Juan Carlos, of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. "With Al Qaeda I think it is a mixed bag. They draw benefits from the Taliban but they are not relying wholesale on narcotics. They still rely on sympathetic donors and, to a certain extent, charities.''
Afghanistan produces more opium than any other country in the world. The Taliban charges drug kingpins to move the opium through its territory, for what the United Nations estimates could run upward of $340 million annually.
The Taliban euphemistically refers to extortion money as tolls, taxes or even zakat, the 2.5 per cent donation to charity that Islam requires. A kidnapped Pakistani businessman had to pay more than $140,000 in ransom. When his Taliban captors freed him, he said, they told him, "Think of this as your zakat. Now your place in heaven is guaranteed.''
Money from drugs and criminal gangs make up roughly 85 to 90 per cent of Taliban revenue, estimates John Solomon, a terrorism expert with U.S. Military Academy's Counter Terrorism Center. In Pakistan alone, Owais Ghani, governor of northwest Pakistan, puts the Taliban's annual earnings at roughly $50 million.
Taliban foot soldiers are paid $115 a month, almost $20 more than the average Pakistani policeman. A Taliban commander makes upward of $400 a month, or nearly a third of the average annual salary of most Pakistanis.
The money also goes a long way because explosives are available locally and cheaply, said a senior Pakistani security official. The explosive devices that kill NATO and Pakistani troops cost less than $100 each to make, said the official. The training to make, place and detonate the devices likely comes from Al Qaeda, he said.
The informal money transfer system known as hawala or hundi is also still flourishing in Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Middle East, Europe and the United States.
After the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the financial crackdown closed some of Al Qaeda's most lucrative sources of funding. But with the help of the hawala system, Al Qaeda has since re-established its money line, latching onto Taliban crime while making a modest comeback on illicit business and donations after the American-led invasion of Iraq, according to interviews with jihadis, traders, security officials and terrorism experts.
Pintu
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BBC NEWS | South Asia | Tribal leader killed in Pakistan
Tribal leader killed in Pakistan
A tribal leader who opposed the head of the Taliban in Pakistan has been shot dead in the north-western Pakistani town of Dera Ismail Khan, police said.
Qari Zainuddin, 26, who often criticised Taliban head Baitullah Mehsud, was killed by a gunman in his office early on Tuesday.
Separately, reports say six people have been killed in a missile strike by a US drone aircraft in South Waziristan.
They say at least one missile struck a known stronghold of Baitullah Mehsud.
Mehsud's group is blamed for a number of deadly attacks in Pakistan.
Earlier this month, Zainuddin hit out at Mehsud for recent attacks in which civilians have been killed.
The fresh violence comes as the Pakistani army is preparing to launch a new offensive against Taliban fighters under Mehsud's command.
An aide of Zainuddin who was also wounded in the attack that killed the tribal leader said a guard entered the room at Zainuddin's office after morning prayers and opened fire.
"It was definitely Baitullah's man who infiltrated our ranks, and he has done his job," Baz Mohammad told the Associated Press news agency.
Zainuddin was taken to the hospital where doctors pronounced him dead.
'Not a jihad'
Earlier this month, Zainuddin criticised Mehsud after an attack on a mosque which killed 33 people.
He told Associated Press: "Whatever Baitullah Mehsud and his associates are doing in the name of Islam is not a jihad, and in fact it is rioting and terrorism".
"Islam stands for peace, not for terrorism," he had said.
Zainuddin's killing is being seen in Pakistan as a setback for the government in its efforts to isolate Mehsud as the security forces prepare for the next phase of their anti-Taliban offensive in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, says the BBC's Mike Wooldridge in Islamabad.
Earlier this month a prominent Muslim cleric who was outspoken in his opposition to the Taliban was killed in a suicide blast at his seminary in Lahore.
Correspondents say Mehsud is thought to head the most powerful group of militants in the country, with a network of alliances with other militants.
His stronghold in South Waziristan, bordering Afghanistan, is an area considered by many to be the hide-out of Osama Bin Laden.
Tribal leader killed in Pakistan
A tribal leader who opposed the head of the Taliban in Pakistan has been shot dead in the north-western Pakistani town of Dera Ismail Khan, police said.
Qari Zainuddin, 26, who often criticised Taliban head Baitullah Mehsud, was killed by a gunman in his office early on Tuesday.
Separately, reports say six people have been killed in a missile strike by a US drone aircraft in South Waziristan.
They say at least one missile struck a known stronghold of Baitullah Mehsud.
Mehsud's group is blamed for a number of deadly attacks in Pakistan.
Earlier this month, Zainuddin hit out at Mehsud for recent attacks in which civilians have been killed.
The fresh violence comes as the Pakistani army is preparing to launch a new offensive against Taliban fighters under Mehsud's command.
An aide of Zainuddin who was also wounded in the attack that killed the tribal leader said a guard entered the room at Zainuddin's office after morning prayers and opened fire.
"It was definitely Baitullah's man who infiltrated our ranks, and he has done his job," Baz Mohammad told the Associated Press news agency.
Zainuddin was taken to the hospital where doctors pronounced him dead.
'Not a jihad'
Earlier this month, Zainuddin criticised Mehsud after an attack on a mosque which killed 33 people.
He told Associated Press: "Whatever Baitullah Mehsud and his associates are doing in the name of Islam is not a jihad, and in fact it is rioting and terrorism".
"Islam stands for peace, not for terrorism," he had said.
Zainuddin's killing is being seen in Pakistan as a setback for the government in its efforts to isolate Mehsud as the security forces prepare for the next phase of their anti-Taliban offensive in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, says the BBC's Mike Wooldridge in Islamabad.
Earlier this month a prominent Muslim cleric who was outspoken in his opposition to the Taliban was killed in a suicide blast at his seminary in Lahore.
Correspondents say Mehsud is thought to head the most powerful group of militants in the country, with a network of alliances with other militants.
His stronghold in South Waziristan, bordering Afghanistan, is an area considered by many to be the hide-out of Osama Bin Laden.
Pintu
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Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan
Suspected Taliban kill cop in Buner
PESHAWAR: Militants killed a policeman after kidnapping him in Buner, official sources said on Thursday. Israr Bacha, of the Daggar Police Station, was abducted by militants late on Wednesday while he was on his way home in Elum, near Bhai Kalay. His bullet-riddled body was found that same evening in a deserted area nearby. app
Suspected Taliban kill cop in Buner
PESHAWAR: Militants killed a policeman after kidnapping him in Buner, official sources said on Thursday. Israr Bacha, of the Daggar Police Station, was abducted by militants late on Wednesday while he was on his way home in Elum, near Bhai Kalay. His bullet-riddled body was found that same evening in a deserted area nearby. app
Pintu
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Gharibabad blast kills 2, injures 25
Gharibabad blast kills 2, injures 25
Updated at: 1850 PST, Friday, June 26, 2009
KARACHI: At least two persons were killed and 25 injured in a blast at a firecracker-producing factory in Karachi area of Gharibabad near Civic Center, Geo News reported Friday.
The body of a woman has been taken out from under the debris of the house. There are reports that a body of a child also was taken out from the rubble.
MS Abbasi Shaheed said at least 20 injured were brought to the hospital; the injured include 8 women, 5 men and 7 children.
People in large number thronged the hospital, which is causing hardships for the medical staff in carrying out their duties.
It should be mentioned here that the local people gave complaints to police regarding the presence of a firecrackers factory; however, no action was taken against the responsible.
Massive traffic jams are being witnessed in the area.
A gas pipeline passing through the area blew up as a result of intensity of the blast. The Sui Gas company personnel arrived before long and cut off the gas connection. The blast was so powerful that more than dozen houses collapsed.
According to eyewitnesses, the whole area smells of the gunpowder.
Gulberg town Nazim said the street is quite narrow, which does not have enough space for the heavy machinery to enter the affected for relief activity.
People in large number gathered on the spot causing hurdles in the relief activities. Once, police baton-charged to disperse them.
Gharibabad blast kills 2, injures 25
Updated at: 1850 PST, Friday, June 26, 2009
KARACHI: At least two persons were killed and 25 injured in a blast at a firecracker-producing factory in Karachi area of Gharibabad near Civic Center, Geo News reported Friday.
The body of a woman has been taken out from under the debris of the house. There are reports that a body of a child also was taken out from the rubble.
MS Abbasi Shaheed said at least 20 injured were brought to the hospital; the injured include 8 women, 5 men and 7 children.
People in large number thronged the hospital, which is causing hardships for the medical staff in carrying out their duties.
It should be mentioned here that the local people gave complaints to police regarding the presence of a firecrackers factory; however, no action was taken against the responsible.
Massive traffic jams are being witnessed in the area.
A gas pipeline passing through the area blew up as a result of intensity of the blast. The Sui Gas company personnel arrived before long and cut off the gas connection. The blast was so powerful that more than dozen houses collapsed.
According to eyewitnesses, the whole area smells of the gunpowder.
Gulberg town Nazim said the street is quite narrow, which does not have enough space for the heavy machinery to enter the affected for relief activity.
People in large number gathered on the spot causing hurdles in the relief activities. Once, police baton-charged to disperse them.
Pintu
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Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan
Girls' school blown up in South Waziristan
PESHAWAR: Unidentified assailants on Thursday blew up a girls' school in South Waziristan Agency, where a full-scale army offensive is expected against Taliban warlord Baitullah Mehsud, officials said. The incident came three days after Taliban bombed two other schools, one in Peshawar and the other in Bajaur Agency. "A girls' high school was blown up early Thursday morning in Shin Warsak town," 13 kilometres west of Wana, the main town in South Waziristan, local government official Allah Bagh Khan said. He said no loss of life was reported in the explosion that completely destroyed the school building. Also on Thursday morning, the military fired artillery at Taliban hideouts in the agency’s Spinkai Raghzai and Sararogha villages, a security official said. The number of casualties was not immediately known. afp
Girls' school blown up in South Waziristan
PESHAWAR: Unidentified assailants on Thursday blew up a girls' school in South Waziristan Agency, where a full-scale army offensive is expected against Taliban warlord Baitullah Mehsud, officials said. The incident came three days after Taliban bombed two other schools, one in Peshawar and the other in Bajaur Agency. "A girls' high school was blown up early Thursday morning in Shin Warsak town," 13 kilometres west of Wana, the main town in South Waziristan, local government official Allah Bagh Khan said. He said no loss of life was reported in the explosion that completely destroyed the school building. Also on Thursday morning, the military fired artillery at Taliban hideouts in the agency’s Spinkai Raghzai and Sararogha villages, a security official said. The number of casualties was not immediately known. afp
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Khabrein.info
Attacks on security forces in Pakistan kill six, wound over 20
ISLAMABAD, June 26 (KUNA) -- A suicide boming and a second bomb attack targeting security forces in northern Pakistan left six soldiers dead and wounded over 20 others on Friday.
A suicide bomber blew himself up near an army vehicle in Shaukat Line area of Kashmir, according to Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR).
It said in a statement that the attack left two soldiers dead and wounded over three others.
Meanwhile, a military convoy was targeted with a remote-controlled bomb on Bannu Road in North Waziristan tribal agency, bordering Afghanistan.
Security sources told KUNA that the attack left four soldiers dead and wounded over eighteen others.
They said three of the soldiers were in critical condition.
Attacks on security forces in Pakistan kill six, wound over 20
ISLAMABAD, June 26 (KUNA) -- A suicide boming and a second bomb attack targeting security forces in northern Pakistan left six soldiers dead and wounded over 20 others on Friday.
A suicide bomber blew himself up near an army vehicle in Shaukat Line area of Kashmir, according to Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR).
It said in a statement that the attack left two soldiers dead and wounded over three others.
Meanwhile, a military convoy was targeted with a remote-controlled bomb on Bannu Road in North Waziristan tribal agency, bordering Afghanistan.
Security sources told KUNA that the attack left four soldiers dead and wounded over eighteen others.
They said three of the soldiers were in critical condition.
Pintu
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BBC NEWS | South Asia | Ambush kills 12 Pakistan troops
Ambush kills 12 Pakistan troops
Taliban militants have ambushed a Pakistani military convoy and killed 12 soldiers, the army says.
The attack happened in North Waziristan, near the Afghan border, when militants fired rocket-propelled grenades at several vehicles.
A fire-fight then broke out in which 10 militants were killed, the military said.
The attack came as Pakistani troops prepared to launch an operation against militants in the region.
They want to eliminate the Pakistani Taliban network led by Baitullah Mehsud, whose stronghold is in South Waziristan.
The US has already put a bounty of $5m (£3m) on his head and on Sunday the Pakistani authorities offered an additional $615,000 for his capture.
The convoy was attacked in the Gharlamai region near Wachabibi village, some 45km (25 miles) west of the region's main town of Miranshah.
Twelve soldiers were killed and 10 others were injured, the military statement said.
"An exchange of fire between security forces and terrorists continued for some time. Ten terrorists were killed," it said.
The military has been fighting militants in the Swat valley, to the north, for two months - an operation that has triggered militant attacks on both the military and towns and cities elsewhere.
Ambush kills 12 Pakistan troops
Taliban militants have ambushed a Pakistani military convoy and killed 12 soldiers, the army says.
The attack happened in North Waziristan, near the Afghan border, when militants fired rocket-propelled grenades at several vehicles.
A fire-fight then broke out in which 10 militants were killed, the military said.
The attack came as Pakistani troops prepared to launch an operation against militants in the region.
They want to eliminate the Pakistani Taliban network led by Baitullah Mehsud, whose stronghold is in South Waziristan.
The US has already put a bounty of $5m (£3m) on his head and on Sunday the Pakistani authorities offered an additional $615,000 for his capture.
The convoy was attacked in the Gharlamai region near Wachabibi village, some 45km (25 miles) west of the region's main town of Miranshah.
Twelve soldiers were killed and 10 others were injured, the military statement said.
"An exchange of fire between security forces and terrorists continued for some time. Ten terrorists were killed," it said.
The military has been fighting militants in the Swat valley, to the north, for two months - an operation that has triggered militant attacks on both the military and towns and cities elsewhere.
youngindian
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Pakistan Diverted Over $5Bn Aid Into N-Program: Report
INO.com News - Pakistan Diverted Over $5Bn Aid Into N-Program: Report
Tuesday Jun 30, 1:29AM EDT
1 hour, 11 minutes ago
(RTTNews) - Pakistan diverted a whopping sum of over $5 billion provided as aid by the United States to fight Taliban militants into its nuclear program, a report has said.
The report by renowned security expert Andrew Cockburn, who has authored several books on security issues, says most of this 'diverted aid'--USD 5.56 billion as of a year ago--was officially designated "Coalition Support Funds" for Pakistani military operations against the Taliban.
"Most of the aid we've sent them over the past few years has been diverted into their nuclear program," the report published in 'Counter Punch' quoted a senior national security official in the Obama administration as saying.
The author also quotes U.S. Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Mullen as saying recently that the Pakistanis have been frantically increasing their nuclear weapons production.
"Pakistan's drive to build more nukes is an inevitable by-product of the 2008 nuclear cooperation deal with India that overturned U.S. law and gave the Indians access to U.S. nuclear technology . despite their ongoing bomb program," the author notes.
The report also says that the U.S. ignored disgraced Pakistani nuclear scientist A. Q. Khan's proliferation activities in the 1990s. The author claims that during the years Khan was peddling his uranium enrichment technology around the world, his shipping manager was a CIA agent, whose masters seem to have had little problem with allowing the illegal activity to go forward.
The Obama administration also has not changed this policy of tolerance towards Pakistan's nuclear program.
The author argues that the U.S. has allowed Pakistan's nuclear program to continue as it needs Islamabad's help in other issues. In 1979, Zbigniew Brzezinski, a former U.S. national security adviser, underlined that to get full Pakistani cooperation against the Soviets in Afghanistan, the U.S. required "a review of our policy toward Pakistan, more guarantees to it, more arms aid, and, alas, a decision that our security policy toward Pakistan cannot be dictated by our non-proliferation policy."
The author also recalls that when President Reagan was asked for his views on Pakistan's nuclear ambitions, he replied "I just don't think it's any of our business."
INO.com News - Pakistan Diverted Over $5Bn Aid Into N-Program: Report
Tuesday Jun 30, 1:29AM EDT
1 hour, 11 minutes ago
(RTTNews) - Pakistan diverted a whopping sum of over $5 billion provided as aid by the United States to fight Taliban militants into its nuclear program, a report has said.
The report by renowned security expert Andrew Cockburn, who has authored several books on security issues, says most of this 'diverted aid'--USD 5.56 billion as of a year ago--was officially designated "Coalition Support Funds" for Pakistani military operations against the Taliban.
"Most of the aid we've sent them over the past few years has been diverted into their nuclear program," the report published in 'Counter Punch' quoted a senior national security official in the Obama administration as saying.
The author also quotes U.S. Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Mullen as saying recently that the Pakistanis have been frantically increasing their nuclear weapons production.
"Pakistan's drive to build more nukes is an inevitable by-product of the 2008 nuclear cooperation deal with India that overturned U.S. law and gave the Indians access to U.S. nuclear technology . despite their ongoing bomb program," the author notes.
The report also says that the U.S. ignored disgraced Pakistani nuclear scientist A. Q. Khan's proliferation activities in the 1990s. The author claims that during the years Khan was peddling his uranium enrichment technology around the world, his shipping manager was a CIA agent, whose masters seem to have had little problem with allowing the illegal activity to go forward.
The Obama administration also has not changed this policy of tolerance towards Pakistan's nuclear program.
The author argues that the U.S. has allowed Pakistan's nuclear program to continue as it needs Islamabad's help in other issues. In 1979, Zbigniew Brzezinski, a former U.S. national security adviser, underlined that to get full Pakistani cooperation against the Soviets in Afghanistan, the U.S. required "a review of our policy toward Pakistan, more guarantees to it, more arms aid, and, alas, a decision that our security policy toward Pakistan cannot be dictated by our non-proliferation policy."
The author also recalls that when President Reagan was asked for his views on Pakistan's nuclear ambitions, he replied "I just don't think it's any of our business."
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