Pakistan's Descent into Chaos: Terrorist & Drone Attacks
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Car bomb attack kills 4 in Pak's Balochistan
Islamabad, June 30: At least four persons were killed and three others injured Tuesday in a car bomb attack in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, police said.
The explosives-laden car used in the attack was parked near a busy petrol pump in the town of Qalat in Balochistan, police officer Ghulam Sarwar said.
The blast left four people dead and three injured, who were taken to a hospital in Quetta, the provincial capital.
No group claimed responsibility for the attack. Police cordoned off the area and began checking vehicles.
The blast, which was heard from several kilometres away, created panic in the area.
Car bomb attack kills 4 in Pak`s Balochistan
Islamabad, June 30: At least four persons were killed and three others injured Tuesday in a car bomb attack in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, police said.
The explosives-laden car used in the attack was parked near a busy petrol pump in the town of Qalat in Balochistan, police officer Ghulam Sarwar said.
The blast left four people dead and three injured, who were taken to a hospital in Quetta, the provincial capital.
No group claimed responsibility for the attack. Police cordoned off the area and began checking vehicles.
The blast, which was heard from several kilometres away, created panic in the area.
Car bomb attack kills 4 in Pak`s Balochistan
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Bomb blast kills one person in NW Pakistan: police
5 hours ago
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AFP) — At least one person was killed and another wounded when a roadside bomb exploded in northwestern Pakistan, police said.
"The bomb was planted on a roadside in Dera Ismail Khan town and was detonated when a police vehicle approached it," local police official Shafiq Khan told AFP.
A passer-by was killed and another person wounded in the attack, he said, adding that a police van was also partially damaged in the explosion.
Dozens of people have died in drive-by shootings and bombings in the Dera Ismail Khan district bordering a restive tribal region in recent months, amid tensions between Sunni and Shiite Muslims.
But attacks on police and security forces have previously been blamed on Taliban militants active in the neighbouring South Waziristan tribal district bordering Afghanistan.
Shiites account for about 20 percent of Pakistan's mostly Sunni Muslim population of 160 million and the two groups have usually coexisted peacefully.
More than 4,000 people have died in outbreaks of sectarian violence in Pakistan since the late 1980s.
AFP: Bomb blast kills one person in NW Pakistan: police
5 hours ago
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AFP) — At least one person was killed and another wounded when a roadside bomb exploded in northwestern Pakistan, police said.
"The bomb was planted on a roadside in Dera Ismail Khan town and was detonated when a police vehicle approached it," local police official Shafiq Khan told AFP.
A passer-by was killed and another person wounded in the attack, he said, adding that a police van was also partially damaged in the explosion.
Dozens of people have died in drive-by shootings and bombings in the Dera Ismail Khan district bordering a restive tribal region in recent months, amid tensions between Sunni and Shiite Muslims.
But attacks on police and security forces have previously been blamed on Taliban militants active in the neighbouring South Waziristan tribal district bordering Afghanistan.
Shiites account for about 20 percent of Pakistan's mostly Sunni Muslim population of 160 million and the two groups have usually coexisted peacefully.
More than 4,000 people have died in outbreaks of sectarian violence in Pakistan since the late 1980s.
AFP: Bomb blast kills one person in NW Pakistan: police
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BBC NEWS | South Asia | Pakistan elder killed by gunmen
Pakistan elder killed by gunmen
A key pro-government tribal elder has been shot dead along with two of his guards in Pakistan's tribal region of Khyber, officials say.
They say that Malik Gali Khan was travelling in the Jamrud area when he was attacked by gunmen.
The tribal leader was seriously wounded and died on his way to the hospital.
As news of his death spread, incensed local tribesmen closed down the markets and also the Pakistan-Afghanistan highway through Torkham.
Malik Gali Khan was known for his support for the government in an area which is a vital supply route for Nato forces.
The BBC's Syed Shoaib Hasan in Islamabad says that he was killed in an area which has seen a number of recent attacks on militants by security forces, as well as the arrest of high profile al-Qaeda members.
There were at least two other attempts on Mr Khan's life prior to his murder. His family says he had recently received a letter from local Taliban threatening to kill him.
Scrapped
Meanwhile Pakistan's Interior Minister Rahman Malik has told the BBC Urdu service that the Swat Taliban leader Maulana Fazlullah has been seriously wounded in an attack.
But our correspondent says that it is impossible to get independent verification of Mr Malik's claims.
The interior minister also dismissed the announcement made on Tuesday by a wing of the Taliban based in the tribal area bordering Afghanistan that they have scrapped a peace deal with the government.
The group led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur in North Waziristan withdrew from the deal as the army stepped up its offensive against the Taliban in the north-west.
Mr Malik said that their announcement was "nothing new" and that militants were all allied to each other in any case.
The army says that 32 people have been killed in recent fighting in Swat and Waziristan, but these claims also cannot be confirmed.
Military officials also say that the militants killed 18 men on their own side after they were wounded in an aerial bombardment and could not be evacuated.
The full-scale operation against the Pakistan Taliban leadership in their main stronghold in the Afghan border region of South Waziristan has yet to begin, says our world affairs correspondent, Mike Wooldridge.
One issue cited by the army as they prepare the ground is that they want to avoid provoking a wider tribal uprising.
Pakistan elder killed by gunmen
A key pro-government tribal elder has been shot dead along with two of his guards in Pakistan's tribal region of Khyber, officials say.
They say that Malik Gali Khan was travelling in the Jamrud area when he was attacked by gunmen.
The tribal leader was seriously wounded and died on his way to the hospital.
As news of his death spread, incensed local tribesmen closed down the markets and also the Pakistan-Afghanistan highway through Torkham.
Malik Gali Khan was known for his support for the government in an area which is a vital supply route for Nato forces.
The BBC's Syed Shoaib Hasan in Islamabad says that he was killed in an area which has seen a number of recent attacks on militants by security forces, as well as the arrest of high profile al-Qaeda members.
There were at least two other attempts on Mr Khan's life prior to his murder. His family says he had recently received a letter from local Taliban threatening to kill him.
Scrapped
Meanwhile Pakistan's Interior Minister Rahman Malik has told the BBC Urdu service that the Swat Taliban leader Maulana Fazlullah has been seriously wounded in an attack.
But our correspondent says that it is impossible to get independent verification of Mr Malik's claims.
The interior minister also dismissed the announcement made on Tuesday by a wing of the Taliban based in the tribal area bordering Afghanistan that they have scrapped a peace deal with the government.
The group led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur in North Waziristan withdrew from the deal as the army stepped up its offensive against the Taliban in the north-west.
Mr Malik said that their announcement was "nothing new" and that militants were all allied to each other in any case.
The army says that 32 people have been killed in recent fighting in Swat and Waziristan, but these claims also cannot be confirmed.
Military officials also say that the militants killed 18 men on their own side after they were wounded in an aerial bombardment and could not be evacuated.
The full-scale operation against the Pakistan Taliban leadership in their main stronghold in the Afghan border region of South Waziristan has yet to begin, says our world affairs correspondent, Mike Wooldridge.
One issue cited by the army as they prepare the ground is that they want to avoid provoking a wider tribal uprising.
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Bomb in Pakistan's Rawalpindi kills at least one | Special Coverage | Reuters
Bomb in Pakistan's Rawalpindi kills at least one
Thu Jul 2, 2009 11:51am EDT
By Faisal Mahmood
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (Reuters) - A suicide bomber on a motorcycle attacked a bus carrying workers from a nuclear facility and blew himself up in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi on Thursday, killing at least one other person, police said.
Pakistan has been hit by a wave of bombings in recent weeks in response to a military offensive against Taliban militants in the northwest of the country, but Thursday's was the closest to the capital since the launch of the offensive.
Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, is home to the headquarters of the Pakistani army and other state agencies.
Two other attacks in the country's northwest killed three people.
The city's police chief had originally told reporters that up to six people had been killed in the Rawalpindi blast, but he later revised that figure down.
"I was at the spot and was told the toll was five to six, but later we checked with hospitals and they confirmed one dead and 29 wounded," Nasir Durrani told reporters.
Senior police officer Rao Iqbal said the bus was carrying workers from a main nuclear facility, the Khan Research Laboratories.
Policemen at the scene shifted the mangled remains of a motorcycle from beside the bus, which had its windows blown out. Another policeman carried a plastic bag, apparently containing bits of human flesh.
In a separate incident, a roadside bomb exploded as a police patrol passed by on the outskirts of the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing two policemen and wounding four, including two civilians, senior police official Safwat Ghayur said.
In a suspected sectarian attack, a man lobbed a hand grenade at a butcher shop in the northwestern town of Dera Ismail Khan, killing one and injuring four, a senior police official said.
The army went on the offensive in the Swat region two months ago after the Taliban seized a district 100 km (60 miles) from Islamabad, raising alarm at home and among allies who need Pakistani help to fight al Qaeda and tackle Afghanistan's insurgency.
REDEPLOYING BORDER FORCES
The military says it is nearing the end of the offensive in Swat, but intermittent clashes have erupted as soldiers encounter pockets of fighters.
The military said on Thursday afternoon that 23 militants had been killed and five were captured in the previous 24 hours.
But no Taliban leaders have been among the approximately 1,600 militants the army has reported killed in Swat. Independent casualty estimates are not available.
Military spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas said media reports on Thursday that Swat Taliban leader Fazlullah had been killed were not confirmed.
The failure to kill or capture leaders of the Taliban in Swat has led to fears that the militants could make a comeback if and when the army withdraws from the valley.
As the army nears the end of its push in Swat, it has begun attacking Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud in his South Waziristan stronghold in mountains on the Afghan border.
The army says Mehsud, who carries a U.S. reward of $5 million and a Pakistani reward of 50 million rupees ($615,000), is behind 90 percent of militant attacks in Pakistan.
Abbas said the army was redeploying some border forces to an area opposite Afghanistan's Helmand province to block any Taliban trying to flee from a U.S. offensive launched there on Thursday.
Most of Pakistan's political parties and members of the public support the recent offensive, but the government risks having that backing evaporate if the nearly 2 million people displaced by the fighting are seen to be suffering unduly.
The pending arrival of monsoon rains threatens to bring more misery to the displaced, potentially increasing the spread of disease, disrupting delivery of supplies and forcing some camps to be moved, United Nations officials said on Thursday.
(Additional reporting by Augustine Anthony and Kamran Haider; Writing by Robert Birsel; Editing by Michael Roddy)
Bomb in Pakistan's Rawalpindi kills at least one
Thu Jul 2, 2009 11:51am EDT
By Faisal Mahmood
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (Reuters) - A suicide bomber on a motorcycle attacked a bus carrying workers from a nuclear facility and blew himself up in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi on Thursday, killing at least one other person, police said.
Pakistan has been hit by a wave of bombings in recent weeks in response to a military offensive against Taliban militants in the northwest of the country, but Thursday's was the closest to the capital since the launch of the offensive.
Rawalpindi, near Islamabad, is home to the headquarters of the Pakistani army and other state agencies.
Two other attacks in the country's northwest killed three people.
The city's police chief had originally told reporters that up to six people had been killed in the Rawalpindi blast, but he later revised that figure down.
"I was at the spot and was told the toll was five to six, but later we checked with hospitals and they confirmed one dead and 29 wounded," Nasir Durrani told reporters.
Senior police officer Rao Iqbal said the bus was carrying workers from a main nuclear facility, the Khan Research Laboratories.
Policemen at the scene shifted the mangled remains of a motorcycle from beside the bus, which had its windows blown out. Another policeman carried a plastic bag, apparently containing bits of human flesh.
In a separate incident, a roadside bomb exploded as a police patrol passed by on the outskirts of the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing two policemen and wounding four, including two civilians, senior police official Safwat Ghayur said.
In a suspected sectarian attack, a man lobbed a hand grenade at a butcher shop in the northwestern town of Dera Ismail Khan, killing one and injuring four, a senior police official said.
The army went on the offensive in the Swat region two months ago after the Taliban seized a district 100 km (60 miles) from Islamabad, raising alarm at home and among allies who need Pakistani help to fight al Qaeda and tackle Afghanistan's insurgency.
REDEPLOYING BORDER FORCES
The military says it is nearing the end of the offensive in Swat, but intermittent clashes have erupted as soldiers encounter pockets of fighters.
The military said on Thursday afternoon that 23 militants had been killed and five were captured in the previous 24 hours.
But no Taliban leaders have been among the approximately 1,600 militants the army has reported killed in Swat. Independent casualty estimates are not available.
Military spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas said media reports on Thursday that Swat Taliban leader Fazlullah had been killed were not confirmed.
The failure to kill or capture leaders of the Taliban in Swat has led to fears that the militants could make a comeback if and when the army withdraws from the valley.
As the army nears the end of its push in Swat, it has begun attacking Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud in his South Waziristan stronghold in mountains on the Afghan border.
The army says Mehsud, who carries a U.S. reward of $5 million and a Pakistani reward of 50 million rupees ($615,000), is behind 90 percent of militant attacks in Pakistan.
Abbas said the army was redeploying some border forces to an area opposite Afghanistan's Helmand province to block any Taliban trying to flee from a U.S. offensive launched there on Thursday.
Most of Pakistan's political parties and members of the public support the recent offensive, but the government risks having that backing evaporate if the nearly 2 million people displaced by the fighting are seen to be suffering unduly.
The pending arrival of monsoon rains threatens to bring more misery to the displaced, potentially increasing the spread of disease, disrupting delivery of supplies and forcing some camps to be moved, United Nations officials said on Thursday.
(Additional reporting by Augustine Anthony and Kamran Haider; Writing by Robert Birsel; Editing by Michael Roddy)
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Images of the blast , Image : AFP , available at : AFP: Pakistan motorbike bomb kills one in Rawalpindi
Police lowered the death toll from the blast from six to one
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast
Police lowered the death toll from the blast from six to one
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast
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11 killed, 70 hurt in Mian Channu Madrassa blast
11 killed, 70 hurt in Mian Channu Madrassa blast
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Six children among dead; suicide jackets, Jihadi literature recovered from debris; owner arrested; PM, president order inquiry
By Farooq Sattar
KHANEWAL: Eleven people, including six minors, were killed in a blast in a seminary in Chak 129/15-L situated on the outskirts of Mian Channu on Monday.
The explosion, which occurred at 9:05am, severely damaged around 30 houses. The seminary was set up by Riaz Kamboh, a religious activist, just adjacent to his house. Children were busy in studies when the blast occurred.
Khanewal District Police Officer Kamran Khan, who led the rescue work, told the media that two suicide jackets, six rocket launchers and some Jihadi literature were recovered from the site. He confirmed the death of 11 persons. A local UC Nazim, Asif Sindhu, told reporters that Kamboh got training in Afghanistan.
Fire brigades and teams were called from Multan and Khanewal to rescue the injured. The explosion caused a 15-foot deep and 25-foot wide crater at the site.
Meanwhile, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, who rushed to the area after the incident, told newsmen that three terrorists had been arrested. However, he did not confirm the arrest of Kamboh. He said Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif was monitoring the rescue work.
The police did not mention any reason behind the blast. They said one should wait till security agencies reach a conclusion. Agencies add: Ten people were killed and 70 others wounded in the explosion, district police chief Kamran Khan told AFP. He said an audio cassette, pamphlets of a previously unknown militant group, two suicide jackets, detonators, six rockets and two rocket launchers were recovered from the debris.
Naeem Sadiq, a doctor at a local hospital, said the dead included three women, a 15-year-old boy and six children aged between six and 12. “Ten seriously injured have been shifted to the main hospital. We have declared an emergency,” he added.
Police said only the outer walls of buildings were left standing, as rescue workers sifted through the rubble under the burning sun and a rocket launcher was visible sticking out of the debris, according to television footage.
Rana Sanaullah said an investigation is under way. “This was not a formal Madrassa but children used to come to get Quranic education,” he told Geo.President Asif Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira and Defence Minister Ch Ahmed Mukhtar have condemned the blast.
Talking to media men in Islamabad, the interior minister said the explosive material was stored in the house of Master Riaz Ali. After the blast, security has been beefed up in major cities like Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Faisalabad and Gujranwala. Vehicles entering the federal capital are being checked.
President Asif Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani have ordered an inquiry into the explosion. Besides, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has announced Rs 300,000 and Rs 75,000 each respectively for those who lost their lives and sustained injuries in the blast, said Law Minister Rana Sanaullah.
A private television channel reported that Riaz Kamboh, his brother and their six associates have been arrested and taken to unspecified destination for interrogation. Sources said Master Riaz was member of a proscribed outfit and had participated in the Afghan war for eight years.
11 killed, 70 hurt in Mian Channu Madrassa blast
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Six children among dead; suicide jackets, Jihadi literature recovered from debris; owner arrested; PM, president order inquiry
By Farooq Sattar
KHANEWAL: Eleven people, including six minors, were killed in a blast in a seminary in Chak 129/15-L situated on the outskirts of Mian Channu on Monday.
The explosion, which occurred at 9:05am, severely damaged around 30 houses. The seminary was set up by Riaz Kamboh, a religious activist, just adjacent to his house. Children were busy in studies when the blast occurred.
Khanewal District Police Officer Kamran Khan, who led the rescue work, told the media that two suicide jackets, six rocket launchers and some Jihadi literature were recovered from the site. He confirmed the death of 11 persons. A local UC Nazim, Asif Sindhu, told reporters that Kamboh got training in Afghanistan.
Fire brigades and teams were called from Multan and Khanewal to rescue the injured. The explosion caused a 15-foot deep and 25-foot wide crater at the site.
Meanwhile, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, who rushed to the area after the incident, told newsmen that three terrorists had been arrested. However, he did not confirm the arrest of Kamboh. He said Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif was monitoring the rescue work.
The police did not mention any reason behind the blast. They said one should wait till security agencies reach a conclusion. Agencies add: Ten people were killed and 70 others wounded in the explosion, district police chief Kamran Khan told AFP. He said an audio cassette, pamphlets of a previously unknown militant group, two suicide jackets, detonators, six rockets and two rocket launchers were recovered from the debris.
Naeem Sadiq, a doctor at a local hospital, said the dead included three women, a 15-year-old boy and six children aged between six and 12. “Ten seriously injured have been shifted to the main hospital. We have declared an emergency,” he added.
Police said only the outer walls of buildings were left standing, as rescue workers sifted through the rubble under the burning sun and a rocket launcher was visible sticking out of the debris, according to television footage.
Rana Sanaullah said an investigation is under way. “This was not a formal Madrassa but children used to come to get Quranic education,” he told Geo.President Asif Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira and Defence Minister Ch Ahmed Mukhtar have condemned the blast.
Talking to media men in Islamabad, the interior minister said the explosive material was stored in the house of Master Riaz Ali. After the blast, security has been beefed up in major cities like Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi, Faisalabad and Gujranwala. Vehicles entering the federal capital are being checked.
President Asif Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani have ordered an inquiry into the explosion. Besides, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has announced Rs 300,000 and Rs 75,000 each respectively for those who lost their lives and sustained injuries in the blast, said Law Minister Rana Sanaullah.
A private television channel reported that Riaz Kamboh, his brother and their six associates have been arrested and taken to unspecified destination for interrogation. Sources said Master Riaz was member of a proscribed outfit and had participated in the Afghan war for eight years.
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The Associated Press: Gunmen kill UN worker, guard in NW Pakistan
Gunmen kill UN worker, guard in NW Pakistan
By RIAZ KHAN and RYAN LUCAS – 2 hours ago
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Gunmen killed a U.N. employee and a guard during a failed kidnap attempt at a refugee camp in northwestern Pakistan on Thursday, officials said, a blow to humanitarian efforts to help civilians displaced by army offensives against the Taliban.
Also Thursday, a U.N. commission investigating the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto arrived in Pakistan for the first time since opening its inquiry.
The attack on the U.N. worker took place early Thursday at the Kacha Garhi camp near Peshawar. Local police chief Ghayoor Afridi said the assailants tried to abduct the U.N. official and opened fire when he resisted.
The chief of the U.N. refugee agency in Pakistan, Guenet Guebre-Christos, identified the dead U.N. worker as Zill-e-Usman, a 59-year-old Pakistani in charge of the U.N.'s relief efforts at the camp. She said Usman had worked for the U.N. for nearly 30 years and was set to retire soon.
"He was quite an old hand and he was looking forward to his retirement," Guebre-Christos told The Associated Press. She strongly condemned the attack, calling it a "cowardly assassination."
The U.N. said in a statement a camp guard was also killed, while another guard and a local U.N. worker were wounded.
Some 2 million Pakistanis have been driven from their homes in northwest Pakistan because of military offensives against militants in the region — and many ended up in refugee camps. International organizations have stepped up humanitarian efforts, leaving them vulnerable to attack by militants or criminals.
Islam Khan, a guard at the Kacha Garhi camp, which the U.N. says is home to 16,000 refugees, said four men drove up to Usman's office in a blue car and went inside.
"Then I heard gunshots and the attackers came out and fled in their car," Khan said, adding that one of the assailants was bleeding.
It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the attack, and there was no claim of responsibility.
Guebre-Christos said she wasn't aware of any direct threats toward U.N. workers at the camp.
"We don't know who these people are who attacked or why they did it," she said.
Mahmood Shah, a former security chief for Pakistan's northwest tribal regions, said Thursday's attack sounded like the work of criminals rather than the Taliban because the militants had largely been driven from that area.
The number of kidnappings has soared in Pakistan in recent years, especially in the northwest. While many of the criminal gangs behind them are believed to be in it for their own gain, others are suspected of links to the Taliban, and kidnappings are believed to be an important source of funding for the militancy.
U.N. employees and foreigners have been the target of kidnappings and bombings several times in recent months.
Last month, there were U.N. employees among the 11 people killed in a suicide attack that devastated the Pearl Continental Hotel in Peshawar.
Earlier this year, Taliban militants beheaded a Polish geologist, and suspected Baluch rebels kidnapped American U.N. refugee worker John Solecki and held him for about two months in southwest Pakistan before freeing him. His driver was shot dead.
Last year, Lynne Tracy, the top U.S. diplomat in the northwest, narrowly survived an attack on her vehicle in Peshawar by suspected militants. In November, also in Peshawar, gunmen shot and killed American aid worker Stephen Vance.
In Islamabad, the three-member U.N. commission arrived Thursday in the country for the first time since formally opening its investigation into Bhutto's death. The members were meeting with senior officials.
Bhutto was killed in late 2007 as she campaigned to return her political party to power in parliamentary elections. Her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, took over the party and was elected president by lawmakers in September 2008.
Little progress has been made in the domestic probe into Bhutto's slaying. The government hopes the U.N. inquiry will help bring her killers to justice.
Also Thursday, Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, toured refugee camps in the northwest — although not Kacha Gari — and was holding talks with top Pakistani officials on security issues.
Ryan Lucas reported from Islamabad, and Riaz Khan from Peshawar. Associated Press writer Kathy Gannon contributed to this report from Peshawar.
Gunmen kill UN worker, guard in NW Pakistan
By RIAZ KHAN and RYAN LUCAS – 2 hours ago
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Gunmen killed a U.N. employee and a guard during a failed kidnap attempt at a refugee camp in northwestern Pakistan on Thursday, officials said, a blow to humanitarian efforts to help civilians displaced by army offensives against the Taliban.
Also Thursday, a U.N. commission investigating the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto arrived in Pakistan for the first time since opening its inquiry.
The attack on the U.N. worker took place early Thursday at the Kacha Garhi camp near Peshawar. Local police chief Ghayoor Afridi said the assailants tried to abduct the U.N. official and opened fire when he resisted.
The chief of the U.N. refugee agency in Pakistan, Guenet Guebre-Christos, identified the dead U.N. worker as Zill-e-Usman, a 59-year-old Pakistani in charge of the U.N.'s relief efforts at the camp. She said Usman had worked for the U.N. for nearly 30 years and was set to retire soon.
"He was quite an old hand and he was looking forward to his retirement," Guebre-Christos told The Associated Press. She strongly condemned the attack, calling it a "cowardly assassination."
The U.N. said in a statement a camp guard was also killed, while another guard and a local U.N. worker were wounded.
Some 2 million Pakistanis have been driven from their homes in northwest Pakistan because of military offensives against militants in the region — and many ended up in refugee camps. International organizations have stepped up humanitarian efforts, leaving them vulnerable to attack by militants or criminals.
Islam Khan, a guard at the Kacha Garhi camp, which the U.N. says is home to 16,000 refugees, said four men drove up to Usman's office in a blue car and went inside.
"Then I heard gunshots and the attackers came out and fled in their car," Khan said, adding that one of the assailants was bleeding.
It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the attack, and there was no claim of responsibility.
Guebre-Christos said she wasn't aware of any direct threats toward U.N. workers at the camp.
"We don't know who these people are who attacked or why they did it," she said.
Mahmood Shah, a former security chief for Pakistan's northwest tribal regions, said Thursday's attack sounded like the work of criminals rather than the Taliban because the militants had largely been driven from that area.
The number of kidnappings has soared in Pakistan in recent years, especially in the northwest. While many of the criminal gangs behind them are believed to be in it for their own gain, others are suspected of links to the Taliban, and kidnappings are believed to be an important source of funding for the militancy.
U.N. employees and foreigners have been the target of kidnappings and bombings several times in recent months.
Last month, there were U.N. employees among the 11 people killed in a suicide attack that devastated the Pearl Continental Hotel in Peshawar.
Earlier this year, Taliban militants beheaded a Polish geologist, and suspected Baluch rebels kidnapped American U.N. refugee worker John Solecki and held him for about two months in southwest Pakistan before freeing him. His driver was shot dead.
Last year, Lynne Tracy, the top U.S. diplomat in the northwest, narrowly survived an attack on her vehicle in Peshawar by suspected militants. In November, also in Peshawar, gunmen shot and killed American aid worker Stephen Vance.
In Islamabad, the three-member U.N. commission arrived Thursday in the country for the first time since formally opening its investigation into Bhutto's death. The members were meeting with senior officials.
Bhutto was killed in late 2007 as she campaigned to return her political party to power in parliamentary elections. Her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, took over the party and was elected president by lawmakers in September 2008.
Little progress has been made in the domestic probe into Bhutto's slaying. The government hopes the U.N. inquiry will help bring her killers to justice.
Also Thursday, Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, toured refugee camps in the northwest — although not Kacha Gari — and was holding talks with top Pakistani officials on security issues.
Ryan Lucas reported from Islamabad, and Riaz Khan from Peshawar. Associated Press writer Kathy Gannon contributed to this report from Peshawar.
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The Associated Press: Officials: Suicide attack kills 2 in Pakistan
Officials: Suicide attack kills 2 in Pakistan
By RASOOL DAWAR (AP) – 1 hour ago
MIR ALI, Pakistan — A suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into a checkpoint in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal region Tuesday, causing an explosion that killed two police and wounded five other security officials, authorities said.
The attack comes as Pakistani troops engage in offensives against the Taliban in nearby areas and in the wake of a revelation by a top government official that security forces have recovered dozens of young boys training to be suicide attackers.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for Tuesday's attack, but the Taliban have frequently targeted police and other security forces in Pakistan's northwest regions bordering Afghanistan.
The bomber aimed for a checkpoint some 2 miles (3 kilometers) north of Miran Shah, the main town in North Waziristan, local government official Rehmat Ullah said.
Two intelligence officials confirmed the casualty figures and said the wounded include three paramilitary troops. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.
North Waziristan is proving to be a trouble spot for the army just as it is in the initial phases of an offensive against Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud in neighboring South Waziristan.
A militant leader in North Waziristan, Hafiz Gul Bahadur, recently pulled out of a peace deal with the government, and clashes have occurred since in that region.
The army insists it does not plan a full-scale offensive in North Waziristan, but it has carried out some strikes there.
Pakistan's military is still largely focused on a separate offensive in the nearby Swat Valley and its surrounding districts.
On Tuesday, the decapitated body of a Pakistani police constable was discovered in the Swat town of Sangota. The find was a sign that Taliban militants have not given up the fight for the northwestern valley, despite the nearly three-month-old army offensive.
Police officer Sajjad Qazi said the constable was kidnapped a week ago, apparently by militants.
Rebuilding the police is key to government efforts to regain control of Swat, especially now that hundreds of thousands of refugees are returning home.
Late Monday, North West Frontier Province Senior Minister Bashir Ahmad Bilour said security forces engaged in the offensives have rescued dozens of children — ages 6 to 15 — who the Taliban were allegedly training as suicide bombers.
"They are prepared mentally. They say that Islam is everything for them. They say they are doing it for Islam. They say they have to carry suicide attacks for the sake of Islam," Bilour told private Geo TV. "They are many. I can not give you a number, honestly I do not have the number with me, but they are in dozens."
Bilour said the government will do its best to help the youth.
"Around 15 of them are already in the process of rehabilitation in an army school in Mardan," he said, referring to a northwestern town. "They are brainwashed to such an extreme that they are ready to kill their parents who they call infidels."
On Sunday, authorities in Swat's main town of Mingora presented several teenagers alleged to have been forcibly recruited by the Taliban. Seven boys, their lower faces covered to prevent them being recognized, were shown to reporters.
It was unclear exactly whether the Taliban wanted all or any of the boys to be suicide attackers.
One, a 16-year-old Shaukat Ali, said the militants abducted him while he was playing cricket and told him they wanted him to be "a warrior" and offered to pay his family for his services.
Associated Press Writer Asif Shahzad contributed to this report from Islamabad.
Officials: Suicide attack kills 2 in Pakistan
By RASOOL DAWAR (AP) – 1 hour ago
MIR ALI, Pakistan — A suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into a checkpoint in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal region Tuesday, causing an explosion that killed two police and wounded five other security officials, authorities said.
The attack comes as Pakistani troops engage in offensives against the Taliban in nearby areas and in the wake of a revelation by a top government official that security forces have recovered dozens of young boys training to be suicide attackers.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for Tuesday's attack, but the Taliban have frequently targeted police and other security forces in Pakistan's northwest regions bordering Afghanistan.
The bomber aimed for a checkpoint some 2 miles (3 kilometers) north of Miran Shah, the main town in North Waziristan, local government official Rehmat Ullah said.
Two intelligence officials confirmed the casualty figures and said the wounded include three paramilitary troops. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.
North Waziristan is proving to be a trouble spot for the army just as it is in the initial phases of an offensive against Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud in neighboring South Waziristan.
A militant leader in North Waziristan, Hafiz Gul Bahadur, recently pulled out of a peace deal with the government, and clashes have occurred since in that region.
The army insists it does not plan a full-scale offensive in North Waziristan, but it has carried out some strikes there.
Pakistan's military is still largely focused on a separate offensive in the nearby Swat Valley and its surrounding districts.
On Tuesday, the decapitated body of a Pakistani police constable was discovered in the Swat town of Sangota. The find was a sign that Taliban militants have not given up the fight for the northwestern valley, despite the nearly three-month-old army offensive.
Police officer Sajjad Qazi said the constable was kidnapped a week ago, apparently by militants.
Rebuilding the police is key to government efforts to regain control of Swat, especially now that hundreds of thousands of refugees are returning home.
Late Monday, North West Frontier Province Senior Minister Bashir Ahmad Bilour said security forces engaged in the offensives have rescued dozens of children — ages 6 to 15 — who the Taliban were allegedly training as suicide bombers.
"They are prepared mentally. They say that Islam is everything for them. They say they are doing it for Islam. They say they have to carry suicide attacks for the sake of Islam," Bilour told private Geo TV. "They are many. I can not give you a number, honestly I do not have the number with me, but they are in dozens."
Bilour said the government will do its best to help the youth.
"Around 15 of them are already in the process of rehabilitation in an army school in Mardan," he said, referring to a northwestern town. "They are brainwashed to such an extreme that they are ready to kill their parents who they call infidels."
On Sunday, authorities in Swat's main town of Mingora presented several teenagers alleged to have been forcibly recruited by the Taliban. Seven boys, their lower faces covered to prevent them being recognized, were shown to reporters.
It was unclear exactly whether the Taliban wanted all or any of the boys to be suicide attackers.
One, a 16-year-old Shaukat Ali, said the militants abducted him while he was playing cricket and told him they wanted him to be "a warrior" and offered to pay his family for his services.
Associated Press Writer Asif Shahzad contributed to this report from Islamabad.
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AFP: Suicide attacker targets Pakistan troops: officials
Suicide attacker targets Pakistan troops: officials
(AFP) – 48 minutes ago
MIRANSHAH, Pakistan — A suicide bomber Tuesday rammed a car bomb into a checkpoint in Pakistan's restive tribal belt on the Afghan border, wounding three paramilitary soldiers, officials said.
The attack took place on the outskirts of Miranshah, the main town in the North Waziristan tribal district.
"Three paramilitary soldiers were injured after a suicide bomber struck his car into the checkpost," a security official told AFP.
A local administration official confirmed the incident, saying that security forces had cordoned off the area after the attack.
Hundreds of Islamist fighters are believed to have fled Afghanistan into Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal areas to carve out safe havens after the US-led invasion toppled the hardline Taliban regime in Kabul in late 2001.
Militants bitterly opposed to Pakistan's alliance with the United States, whose troops are fighting an escalating Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan, carry out daily attacks on security forces in the northwest.
The Pakistani army launched an offensive to dislodge Taliban guerrillas from northeastern districts Buner, Lower Dir and Swat after rebels flouted a peace deal and thrust further south towards the capital Islamabad in April.
The military said Tuesday that two "terrorists" were killed and 25 others arrested during "search and clearance" operations in Swat, northwest town Lakki and Darra Adam Khel, which is part of the lawless tribal belt.
The Swat offensive was welcomed by the United States and enjoys broad support among Pakistanis exasperated by worsening militant attacks, which have killed nearly 2,000 people in the nuclear-armed country since July 2007.
Pakistan says more than 1,800 militants and 166 security personnel have been killed since April but the death tolls are impossible to verify independently.
Although Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said this month that the military had "eliminated" extremists, continued deadly skirmishes have raised fears that the Taliban merely escaped into the mountains and regrouped.
The bullet-ridden body of a policeman was found Tuesday dumped on roadside in Sangota village, on the outskirts of Mingora, the main town in Swat.
"Militants abducted the policeman from Tahirabad area of Mingora three days ago," Swat police chief Sajjid Mohmand told AFP.
Thousands of Taliban loyalists first rose up in Swat two years ago, launching a brutal campaign that beheaded opponents, burned scores of schools and fought against government troops from November 2007.
Suicide attacker targets Pakistan troops: officials
(AFP) – 48 minutes ago
MIRANSHAH, Pakistan — A suicide bomber Tuesday rammed a car bomb into a checkpoint in Pakistan's restive tribal belt on the Afghan border, wounding three paramilitary soldiers, officials said.
The attack took place on the outskirts of Miranshah, the main town in the North Waziristan tribal district.
"Three paramilitary soldiers were injured after a suicide bomber struck his car into the checkpost," a security official told AFP.
A local administration official confirmed the incident, saying that security forces had cordoned off the area after the attack.
Hundreds of Islamist fighters are believed to have fled Afghanistan into Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal areas to carve out safe havens after the US-led invasion toppled the hardline Taliban regime in Kabul in late 2001.
Militants bitterly opposed to Pakistan's alliance with the United States, whose troops are fighting an escalating Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan, carry out daily attacks on security forces in the northwest.
The Pakistani army launched an offensive to dislodge Taliban guerrillas from northeastern districts Buner, Lower Dir and Swat after rebels flouted a peace deal and thrust further south towards the capital Islamabad in April.
The military said Tuesday that two "terrorists" were killed and 25 others arrested during "search and clearance" operations in Swat, northwest town Lakki and Darra Adam Khel, which is part of the lawless tribal belt.
The Swat offensive was welcomed by the United States and enjoys broad support among Pakistanis exasperated by worsening militant attacks, which have killed nearly 2,000 people in the nuclear-armed country since July 2007.
Pakistan says more than 1,800 militants and 166 security personnel have been killed since April but the death tolls are impossible to verify independently.
Although Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said this month that the military had "eliminated" extremists, continued deadly skirmishes have raised fears that the Taliban merely escaped into the mountains and regrouped.
The bullet-ridden body of a policeman was found Tuesday dumped on roadside in Sangota village, on the outskirts of Mingora, the main town in Swat.
"Militants abducted the policeman from Tahirabad area of Mingora three days ago," Swat police chief Sajjid Mohmand told AFP.
Thousands of Taliban loyalists first rose up in Swat two years ago, launching a brutal campaign that beheaded opponents, burned scores of schools and fought against government troops from November 2007.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/29/world/asia/29pakistan.html
Police Officer Is Found Beheaded in Pakistan’s Swat Valley
By PIR ZUBAIR SHAH
Published: July 28, 2009
SLAMABAD, Pakistan — The beheaded body of a police constable who was kidnapped last week in the Swat Valley was found Tuesday morning near the town of Mingora, the police said.
A police official in Swat said the killing of the constable, Jehan Zada, amounted to a “continuation of the same process,” implying that the police believe the Taliban were to blame.
Police officers have become prime targets of Taliban assassins in Swat, and the abduction and killing of the constable underscores the continuing pressure on the police there. Mr. Zada was snatched from his house in the Sangota area of the valley, the police said.
His killing also seems to demonstrate the Taliban’s reach and ability in the Swat Valley despite the presence of more than 20,000 Pakistani soldiers who have deployed there to flush out the militants.
Police also have discovered the bodies of a number of civilians beheaded by the Taliban in recent weeks, according to a senior police official in Peshawar who spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing departmental policy. He said the civilians were suspected by the Taliban of being informants for the military.
Taliban attacks on the police in Swat have led to more than 800 desertions by officers over the last two years. Police officials have been unable to prevent suicide bombings, beheadings and other insurgency tactics used by Taliban fighters. And lacking specialized counterterrorism training, the police have often been unwilling to participate in anti-Taliban operations.
The killing of the constable came as hundreds of thousands of displaced people were making their way back to the Swat Valley, ordered by the authorities to return to their homes there after months of fighting between insurgents and government forces.
The army continues to battle the Taliban in several insurgent strongholds, particularly in the Matta and Kabal regions of Swat, not far from the main city, Mingora, where many refugees have reclaimed their homes. In a sign that Mingora was still not secure, the Pakistani military declined a request last week by the American envoy Richard C. Holbrooke to visit the town.
In those still-contested regions, the Taliban have razed houses and killed a civilian working for the police in Matta. And now, with the beheading in Mingora, counterinsurgency experts fear that the returning refugees might have been sent back too soon.
Police Officer Is Found Beheaded in Pakistan’s Swat Valley
By PIR ZUBAIR SHAH
Published: July 28, 2009
SLAMABAD, Pakistan — The beheaded body of a police constable who was kidnapped last week in the Swat Valley was found Tuesday morning near the town of Mingora, the police said.
A police official in Swat said the killing of the constable, Jehan Zada, amounted to a “continuation of the same process,” implying that the police believe the Taliban were to blame.
Police officers have become prime targets of Taliban assassins in Swat, and the abduction and killing of the constable underscores the continuing pressure on the police there. Mr. Zada was snatched from his house in the Sangota area of the valley, the police said.
His killing also seems to demonstrate the Taliban’s reach and ability in the Swat Valley despite the presence of more than 20,000 Pakistani soldiers who have deployed there to flush out the militants.
Police also have discovered the bodies of a number of civilians beheaded by the Taliban in recent weeks, according to a senior police official in Peshawar who spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing departmental policy. He said the civilians were suspected by the Taliban of being informants for the military.
Taliban attacks on the police in Swat have led to more than 800 desertions by officers over the last two years. Police officials have been unable to prevent suicide bombings, beheadings and other insurgency tactics used by Taliban fighters. And lacking specialized counterterrorism training, the police have often been unwilling to participate in anti-Taliban operations.
The killing of the constable came as hundreds of thousands of displaced people were making their way back to the Swat Valley, ordered by the authorities to return to their homes there after months of fighting between insurgents and government forces.
The army continues to battle the Taliban in several insurgent strongholds, particularly in the Matta and Kabal regions of Swat, not far from the main city, Mingora, where many refugees have reclaimed their homes. In a sign that Mingora was still not secure, the Pakistani military declined a request last week by the American envoy Richard C. Holbrooke to visit the town.
In those still-contested regions, the Taliban have razed houses and killed a civilian working for the police in Matta. And now, with the beheading in Mingora, counterinsurgency experts fear that the returning refugees might have been sent back too soon.
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AFP: Taliban kill Pakistan militia leader: officials
Taliban kill Pakistan militia leader: officials
By Lehaz Ali (AFP) – 3 days ago
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Taliban stormed the home of a pro-government Pakistani militia leader and killed him Wednesday as clashes between troops and Islamists flared in the Swat valley, officials said.
More than 50 Taliban raided the residence of Khalilur Rehman and shot him dead in Shangla, which borders the region where the army three months ago launched an operation to crush militants, police and a local lawmaker said.
Rehman, 60, formed a private tribal militia known as lashkar and used to provide logistic support to groups fighting the Taliban, residents said.
"He was shot dead soon after he entered the meeting hall of his house," senior police officer Gul Wali said. Rehman's servant was wounded, he added.
Security forces retaliated and killed two militants, Wali said.
The Pakistani army launched an offensive to dislodge Taliban guerrillas from the northwestern districts Buner, Lower Dir and Swat after rebels flouted a peace deal and thrust further south towards the capital Islamabad in April.
The military said troops killed four militants in Swat over the last 24 hours, 21 suspects were arrested and hideouts and militant houses demolished.
Pakistan says more than 1,800 militants and 166 soldiers have been killed in the operations around Swat, but none of the death tolls are possible to confirm because the areas have been largely cut off from independent media coverage.
Hundreds of Islamist fighters are believed to have fled Afghanistan into Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal areas to carve out safe havens after the US-led invasion in late 2001 toppled the hardline Taliban regime in Kabul.
Gun battles killed three militants and wounded three paramilitary soldiers when Taliban attacked a military post in the tribal North Waziristan area, security and a local administration official said.
Elsewhere in the northwest, police said a Shiite lawyer was wounded and his guard killed when a remote-controlled bomb exploded near his car in the town of Dera Ismail Khan, a notorious flashpoint for sectarian violence.
The blast ripped through the local court car park, police officer Salahuddin Khan said. "It was a targeted attack involving sectarian militants," he said.
The bomb went off as lawyer Mastan Zaidi parked his car, the officer said. Zaidi and his two guards were rushed to the hospital where one guard died of his injuries, Khan said.
Local hospital doctor Ashiq Saleem said the lawyer's condition was stable.
Earlier this month, the government shored up a peace agreement reached by Sunni and Shiite leaders in Dera Ismail Khan, which neighbours the tribal belt.
Pakistan can ill afford to fan the flames of sectarian violence as it strains to contain Islamist militants -- largely Sunnis -- during offensives against the Taliban in the tribal belt and pockets of the northwest.
Shiites account for about 20 percent of Pakistan's mostly Sunni Muslim population of 167 million. More than 4,000 people have died in outbreaks of sectarian violence since the late 1980s.
Taliban kill Pakistan militia leader: officials
By Lehaz Ali (AFP) – 3 days ago
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Taliban stormed the home of a pro-government Pakistani militia leader and killed him Wednesday as clashes between troops and Islamists flared in the Swat valley, officials said.
More than 50 Taliban raided the residence of Khalilur Rehman and shot him dead in Shangla, which borders the region where the army three months ago launched an operation to crush militants, police and a local lawmaker said.
Rehman, 60, formed a private tribal militia known as lashkar and used to provide logistic support to groups fighting the Taliban, residents said.
"He was shot dead soon after he entered the meeting hall of his house," senior police officer Gul Wali said. Rehman's servant was wounded, he added.
Security forces retaliated and killed two militants, Wali said.
The Pakistani army launched an offensive to dislodge Taliban guerrillas from the northwestern districts Buner, Lower Dir and Swat after rebels flouted a peace deal and thrust further south towards the capital Islamabad in April.
The military said troops killed four militants in Swat over the last 24 hours, 21 suspects were arrested and hideouts and militant houses demolished.
Pakistan says more than 1,800 militants and 166 soldiers have been killed in the operations around Swat, but none of the death tolls are possible to confirm because the areas have been largely cut off from independent media coverage.
Hundreds of Islamist fighters are believed to have fled Afghanistan into Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal areas to carve out safe havens after the US-led invasion in late 2001 toppled the hardline Taliban regime in Kabul.
Gun battles killed three militants and wounded three paramilitary soldiers when Taliban attacked a military post in the tribal North Waziristan area, security and a local administration official said.
Elsewhere in the northwest, police said a Shiite lawyer was wounded and his guard killed when a remote-controlled bomb exploded near his car in the town of Dera Ismail Khan, a notorious flashpoint for sectarian violence.
The blast ripped through the local court car park, police officer Salahuddin Khan said. "It was a targeted attack involving sectarian militants," he said.
The bomb went off as lawyer Mastan Zaidi parked his car, the officer said. Zaidi and his two guards were rushed to the hospital where one guard died of his injuries, Khan said.
Local hospital doctor Ashiq Saleem said the lawyer's condition was stable.
Earlier this month, the government shored up a peace agreement reached by Sunni and Shiite leaders in Dera Ismail Khan, which neighbours the tribal belt.
Pakistan can ill afford to fan the flames of sectarian violence as it strains to contain Islamist militants -- largely Sunnis -- during offensives against the Taliban in the tribal belt and pockets of the northwest.
Shiites account for about 20 percent of Pakistan's mostly Sunni Muslim population of 167 million. More than 4,000 people have died in outbreaks of sectarian violence since the late 1980s.
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AFP: Bomb kills two children in Pakistan: official
Bomb kills two children in Pakistan: official
(AFP) – 17 hours ago
KHAR, Pakistan — Two schoolboys were killed and their brother injured Wednesday when a bomb exploded in a Pakistan village playground near the Afghan border, officials said.
The trio, all brothers, were playing when the explosive device went off in Nisarabad village on the outskirts of Khar, the main town in the Bajaur tribal region, local administration chief, Adalat Khan, told AFP.
Two of them, aged between nine and 11 years, were killed and their 13-year-old brother wounded, he said. They were school students, he said.
A security official confirmed the casualties, saying that it was unclear if the bomb was planted by militants or was left during a six-month battle fought between government forces and Islamist insurgents.
Hundreds of people were killed in the fighting which saw heavy artillery and helicopter gunships pound Bajaur, to purge the area of militants.
The fighting ended in February when the military claimed to have "secured" the area.
Pakistan's semi-autonomous northwest tribal belt has become a stronghold for hundreds of extremists who fled Afghanistan after the US-led invasion toppled the hardline Taliban regime in neighbouring Afghanistan in late 2001.
Meanwhile, two people were killed in a bomb blast on Wednesday in the southwestern city of Quetta, the capital of the oil and gas rich Baluchistan province, bordering Iran and Afghanistan, police said.
"At least two passers-by were killed and four others injured when an improvised explosive device planted on a motorbike went off on the outskirts of Quetta," local police official Asad Nasir told AFP.
He said that the motorbike was parked near checkpost of the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC), adding that no one had claimed responsibility for the attack.
Hundreds of people have died in an insurgency which flared in late 2004 in Baluchistan, where rebels are demanding political autonomy and a greater share of profits from the region's natural resources.
Bomb kills two children in Pakistan: official
(AFP) – 17 hours ago
KHAR, Pakistan — Two schoolboys were killed and their brother injured Wednesday when a bomb exploded in a Pakistan village playground near the Afghan border, officials said.
The trio, all brothers, were playing when the explosive device went off in Nisarabad village on the outskirts of Khar, the main town in the Bajaur tribal region, local administration chief, Adalat Khan, told AFP.
Two of them, aged between nine and 11 years, were killed and their 13-year-old brother wounded, he said. They were school students, he said.
A security official confirmed the casualties, saying that it was unclear if the bomb was planted by militants or was left during a six-month battle fought between government forces and Islamist insurgents.
Hundreds of people were killed in the fighting which saw heavy artillery and helicopter gunships pound Bajaur, to purge the area of militants.
The fighting ended in February when the military claimed to have "secured" the area.
Pakistan's semi-autonomous northwest tribal belt has become a stronghold for hundreds of extremists who fled Afghanistan after the US-led invasion toppled the hardline Taliban regime in neighbouring Afghanistan in late 2001.
Meanwhile, two people were killed in a bomb blast on Wednesday in the southwestern city of Quetta, the capital of the oil and gas rich Baluchistan province, bordering Iran and Afghanistan, police said.
"At least two passers-by were killed and four others injured when an improvised explosive device planted on a motorbike went off on the outskirts of Quetta," local police official Asad Nasir told AFP.
He said that the motorbike was parked near checkpost of the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC), adding that no one had claimed responsibility for the attack.
Hundreds of people have died in an insurgency which flared in late 2004 in Baluchistan, where rebels are demanding political autonomy and a greater share of profits from the region's natural resources.
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Associated Press Of Pakistan ( Pakistan's Premier NEWS Agency ) - Two cops killed, three injured in ambush in Balochistan
Two cops killed, three injured in ambush in Balochistan
QUETTA, Aug 13 (APP): Two cops of Balochistan Constabulary were killed while two others injured in an ambush on Sona Khan check post located in Hazarganji area on late night between Wednesday and Thursday. Unidentified culprits opened fire on the check post, injuring the law enforcement agency’s four personnel present there. They also fired a rocket on the check post.
The injured were rushed to the BMC Hospital where two of them succumbed to their injuries.
Meanwhile, Khuzdar police confirmed that culprits fired two rockets on the town; however, these could not damage Radio Transmission Tower and fell on the ground near it.
Kalat police contended that on late night between Wednesday and Thursday, blast was heard. The official maintained that unidentified culprits fired rocket on a FC check post set up at a nearby hill and in retaliation, the Frontier Corps personnel opened fire, however, no loss of life or property was reported.
In Barkhan, armed men fired four rockets on the town from nearby hill on Wednesday night. Two of the rockets fell on a cricket ground, injuring a youth Mir Muhammmad.
After the untoward incidents, security has been put on high alert in all cities of the province, particularly provincial capital of Quetta.
Two cops killed, three injured in ambush in Balochistan
QUETTA, Aug 13 (APP): Two cops of Balochistan Constabulary were killed while two others injured in an ambush on Sona Khan check post located in Hazarganji area on late night between Wednesday and Thursday. Unidentified culprits opened fire on the check post, injuring the law enforcement agency’s four personnel present there. They also fired a rocket on the check post.
The injured were rushed to the BMC Hospital where two of them succumbed to their injuries.
Meanwhile, Khuzdar police confirmed that culprits fired two rockets on the town; however, these could not damage Radio Transmission Tower and fell on the ground near it.
Kalat police contended that on late night between Wednesday and Thursday, blast was heard. The official maintained that unidentified culprits fired rocket on a FC check post set up at a nearby hill and in retaliation, the Frontier Corps personnel opened fire, however, no loss of life or property was reported.
In Barkhan, armed men fired four rockets on the town from nearby hill on Wednesday night. Two of the rockets fell on a cricket ground, injuring a youth Mir Muhammmad.
After the untoward incidents, security has been put on high alert in all cities of the province, particularly provincial capital of Quetta.
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Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan
Bomb on passenger van kills seven in Charsadda
* Taliban claim responsibility for attack
PESHAWAR: A bomb blast claimed by the Taliban killed seven people, including children, in Charsadda on Monday, said police.
Three young boys, two women and a driver were killed when a pick-up truck they were sitting in was blown up.
An injured man later died on his way to hospital, district police chief Mohammad Riaz Khan told AFP.
Safwat Ghayur, a Peshawar police official, said the vehicle had pulled up at a petrol station on its way to neighbouring Mohmand Agency, where the government has tenuous control and Taliban are active.
“It was a timed device. Somebody gave a passenger a bag and the device was hidden in that baggage,” said Ghyur in remarks broadcast on local television, adding that at least eight people were also injured.
Surviving passengers told AFP they were from the village of Ambar in Mohmand, where local tribesmen had raised a militia to fight against Taliban.
A Taliban commander from Mohmand called an AFP reporter in Peshawar and claimed responsibility for the bombing.
“The people sitting in the vehicle were from Ambar. These people attacked Taliban,” Qari Shakeel said from an undisclosed location. The northwest has seen a wave of suicide blasts and attacks this year, most blamed on the Taliban. afp
Bomb on passenger van kills seven in Charsadda
* Taliban claim responsibility for attack
PESHAWAR: A bomb blast claimed by the Taliban killed seven people, including children, in Charsadda on Monday, said police.
Three young boys, two women and a driver were killed when a pick-up truck they were sitting in was blown up.
An injured man later died on his way to hospital, district police chief Mohammad Riaz Khan told AFP.
Safwat Ghayur, a Peshawar police official, said the vehicle had pulled up at a petrol station on its way to neighbouring Mohmand Agency, where the government has tenuous control and Taliban are active.
“It was a timed device. Somebody gave a passenger a bag and the device was hidden in that baggage,” said Ghyur in remarks broadcast on local television, adding that at least eight people were also injured.
Surviving passengers told AFP they were from the village of Ambar in Mohmand, where local tribesmen had raised a militia to fight against Taliban.
A Taliban commander from Mohmand called an AFP reporter in Peshawar and claimed responsibility for the bombing.
“The people sitting in the vehicle were from Ambar. These people attacked Taliban,” Qari Shakeel said from an undisclosed location. The northwest has seen a wave of suicide blasts and attacks this year, most blamed on the Taliban. afp
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Pak violence kills 48; suicide attack at checkpost
Islamabad: At least 20 security personnel were killed on Thursday when a suicide bomber struck at a check post near the Afghan border in Pakistan's lawless tribal belt, even as a US drone strike and gun battles elsewhere in the region killed 28 people, most of them militants. The suicide attacker targeted the check post in Khyber region, manned by personnel from tribal militia Khasadar force, at around the time of 'iftar' -- the meal for breaking the daily fast during the holy month of Ramzan. About 20 people were killed in the attack, TV news channels reported. No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Pakistani Taliban has been blamed for a deadly wave of suicide bombings across the country in past two years. Two days after the Taliban appointed a new chief, a US drone targeted one of the key militant commanders -- Wali-ur Rehman -- firing missiles on his stronghold in South Waziristan. Eight people, mostly militants, were killed and another nine were wounded in the strike.
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Suicide attack in Mingora kills 16 policemen
Suicide attack in Mingora kills 16 policemen
Updated at: 2100 PST, Sunday, August 30, 2009
SWAT: Sixteen policemen have so far been killed in a suicide bomb blast and firing at the Special Police Training Centre near a police station in Mingora here on Sunday.
IG Police NWFP said the head of the suicide bomber has been found. He admitted that the attack took place as a result of the security lapse.
NWFP Minister for Information Iftikhar Hussain said policemen were busy in training at Mingora Police Station when the suicide bomber rushed in through the main gate and blew himself up.
It was a high intensity blast that killed 14 people on the spot and injured 13 others, 6 of them critically. The bodies and wounded were brought to District Headquarter Hospital where two more policemen succumbed to their wounds.
The suicide attack sent a wave of fear across Mingora where intermittent firing also took place.
Security forces have cordoned off various areas and curfew has been imposed in the city.
Panic spread among the people after the explosion and all shops and markets have been closed.
NWFP Chief Minister Amir Haider Hoti announced Rs500,000 each for the families of the martyred policemen and Rs 100,000 each for the injured.
Suicide attack in Mingora kills 16 policemen
Updated at: 2100 PST, Sunday, August 30, 2009
SWAT: Sixteen policemen have so far been killed in a suicide bomb blast and firing at the Special Police Training Centre near a police station in Mingora here on Sunday.
IG Police NWFP said the head of the suicide bomber has been found. He admitted that the attack took place as a result of the security lapse.
NWFP Minister for Information Iftikhar Hussain said policemen were busy in training at Mingora Police Station when the suicide bomber rushed in through the main gate and blew himself up.
It was a high intensity blast that killed 14 people on the spot and injured 13 others, 6 of them critically. The bodies and wounded were brought to District Headquarter Hospital where two more policemen succumbed to their wounds.
The suicide attack sent a wave of fear across Mingora where intermittent firing also took place.
Security forces have cordoned off various areas and curfew has been imposed in the city.
Panic spread among the people after the explosion and all shops and markets have been closed.
NWFP Chief Minister Amir Haider Hoti announced Rs500,000 each for the families of the martyred policemen and Rs 100,000 each for the injured.
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