8 Pak soldiers killed in suicide attack
Sunday, 21 September 2008
MIRANSHAH, (Pakistan), Sept 20 (AFP): At least eight Pakistani soldiers were killed Saturday when a suicide bomber crashed an explosives-filled car into a military convoy near the Afghan border, officials said.
The attack took place as the troops passed through the volatile North Waziristan tribal district, a security official told AFP.
"Eight soldiers have died and some 12 others were injured," the official said, adding he feared the toll may increase.
Taliban and Al-Qaeda linked militants regularly attack military and government targets in the area close to Afghanistan border.
Residents said troops cordoned off the area immediately after the blast.
A military helicopter evacuated the dead and injured to the northwestern garrison town of Bannu, the official said.
The victims were travelling in a military truck which was badly damaged by the blast, he said.
US and Afghan officials say Pakistan's tribal areas are a safe haven for Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants who sneaked into the rugged region after the fall of the Taliban regime in late 2001.
Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al- Zawahiri, are widely believed to be hiding in the mountainous region.
Meanwhile: Pakistani soldiers killed at least 16 Al-Qaeda linked militants in fierce gunbattles in a restive tribal area bordering Afghanistan, officials said Saturday.
The fresh clashes erupted late Friday in the Bajaur tribal district where Pakistani troops launched a major offensive against Islamic militants last month.
The operation involving helicopter gunships and artillery has left more than 800 people dead, mostly militants, and also displaced 260,000, officials said.
Residents said that a large number of fresh troops and tanks had arrived in Bajaur. Five militants were killed in a gunbattle early Saturday near Shakai village, a security official told AFP. The other deaths occurred overnight in nearby villages, the official said.
The casualty figure could not be independently verified.
Pakistan's tribal regions have been wracked by violence since thousands of Taliban and Al-Qaeda rebels sneaked into the country after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001.
The attack took place as the troops passed through the volatile North Waziristan tribal district, a security official told AFP.
"Eight soldiers have died and some 12 others were injured," the official said, adding he feared the toll may increase.
Taliban and Al-Qaeda linked militants regularly attack military and government targets in the area close to Afghanistan border.
Residents said troops cordoned off the area immediately after the blast.
A military helicopter evacuated the dead and injured to the northwestern garrison town of Bannu, the official said.
The victims were travelling in a military truck which was badly damaged by the blast, he said.
US and Afghan officials say Pakistan's tribal areas are a safe haven for Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants who sneaked into the rugged region after the fall of the Taliban regime in late 2001.
Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al- Zawahiri, are widely believed to be hiding in the mountainous region.
Meanwhile: Pakistani soldiers killed at least 16 Al-Qaeda linked militants in fierce gunbattles in a restive tribal area bordering Afghanistan, officials said Saturday.
The fresh clashes erupted late Friday in the Bajaur tribal district where Pakistani troops launched a major offensive against Islamic militants last month.
The operation involving helicopter gunships and artillery has left more than 800 people dead, mostly militants, and also displaced 260,000, officials said.
Residents said that a large number of fresh troops and tanks had arrived in Bajaur. Five militants were killed in a gunbattle early Saturday near Shakai village, a security official told AFP. The other deaths occurred overnight in nearby villages, the official said.
The casualty figure could not be independently verified.
Pakistan's tribal regions have been wracked by violence since thousands of Taliban and Al-Qaeda rebels sneaked into the country after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001.