Pak militant house destroyed
Tuesday, 1 July 2008
An explosion has destroyed the house of a militant leader in the Khyber region of north-west Pakistan, killing at least seven people, officials say.
It is not clear whether explosives stored in the building detonated or if it was hit by missiles, BBC reports.
Security forces began a drive against militants in the area at the weekend.
Separately, Islamabad and Rawalpindi were shaken by loud bangs, but these are thought to have been an aircraft breaking the sound barrier - not bombs.
Officials said all "sensitive installations" were safe and there had been no bomb at any military installation in Rawalpindi, where the army is headquartered.
"It could have been a sonic boom but we are still investigating," a senior police official told Reuters news agency.
Officials in Khyber told the BBC the house of Haji Namdar, leader of one of the three militant groups active in the area, was blown up at about 0330 local time (2230 GMT).
"Some witnesses say the house was hit by missiles, but it is also possible that explosives stored in the house blew up," a local official said.
Security forces launched a major operation against militants near the main north-western city of Peshawar Saturday.
Militants have become more active in and around Peshawar in recent months, say correspondents.
Troops have also recovered eight bodies from another district in the same region, officials said.
They said the men had apparently been killed by militants, in Kurram tribal district to the south of Khyber.
"All of them had bullet wounds in the head and chest, but none of them was beheaded," an official from Kurram, Ataur Rahman, told the BBC.
The BBC's M Ilyas Khan says this would be the first instance of Taleban justice in Kurram, where frequent sectarian attacks have claimed scores of lives during the last eight months.
"These killings are not related to sectarian violence," Mr Rehman said.
It is not clear whether explosives stored in the building detonated or if it was hit by missiles, BBC reports.
Security forces began a drive against militants in the area at the weekend.
Separately, Islamabad and Rawalpindi were shaken by loud bangs, but these are thought to have been an aircraft breaking the sound barrier - not bombs.
Officials said all "sensitive installations" were safe and there had been no bomb at any military installation in Rawalpindi, where the army is headquartered.
"It could have been a sonic boom but we are still investigating," a senior police official told Reuters news agency.
Officials in Khyber told the BBC the house of Haji Namdar, leader of one of the three militant groups active in the area, was blown up at about 0330 local time (2230 GMT).
"Some witnesses say the house was hit by missiles, but it is also possible that explosives stored in the house blew up," a local official said.
Security forces launched a major operation against militants near the main north-western city of Peshawar Saturday.
Militants have become more active in and around Peshawar in recent months, say correspondents.
Troops have also recovered eight bodies from another district in the same region, officials said.
They said the men had apparently been killed by militants, in Kurram tribal district to the south of Khyber.
"All of them had bullet wounds in the head and chest, but none of them was beheaded," an official from Kurram, Ataur Rahman, told the BBC.
The BBC's M Ilyas Khan says this would be the first instance of Taleban justice in Kurram, where frequent sectarian attacks have claimed scores of lives during the last eight months.
"These killings are not related to sectarian violence," Mr Rehman said.