Missile strike reported in northwest Pakistan RAW STORY

Published: Wednesday August 20, 2008





Print This Email This Update at bottom: Witnesses heard 'drone' aircraft just before blast Update at middle: Official tells AFP missiles came from Afghanistan Pakistani officials say missiles have struck a suspected militant hideout near the Afghan border, the Associated Press reports.



Three intelligence officials told The Associated Press that the missiles destroyed a compound near Wana, the main town in the South Waziristan tribal region, on Wednesday evening.



Two of the officials said initial reports indicated that several people were killed. The third official said foreign militants were known to frequent the compound.



All three officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media.



Pakistan army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas confirmed there was an explosion in the area but had no further details.



Official tells AFP missiles came from Afghanistan



PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AFP)  Missiles fired from Afghanistan hit a militant hideout in Pakistan's tribal belt Wednesday, killing at least eight people including some foreign extremists, security officials said.



The strike in the South Waziristan region was the first since key US ally Pervez Musharraf resigned as president on Monday and left Pakistan's recently elected government in charge of tackling the militants.



Two missiles hit a house owned by a local tribesman with links to Islamic militants in Wana, the main town in South Waziristan, a known haven for Al-Qaeda and Taliban rebels, the officials said.



"It was a known hideout for militants. At least eight people were killed and some foreign militants are among them," one security official told AFP on condition of anonymity.



"The missiles came from Afghanistan," the official said.



Residents said the owner of the house, named as Haji Yaqub, was wounded and was pulled from the rubble, but people were scared to stay in the area because aircraft were flying overhead.



"Arabs often stayed with him (Yaqub)," one resident said.



Pakistani authorities use the term foreigners to describe Al-Qaeda militants. Security officials said there were no immediate indications that senior Al-Qaeda rebels were killed in the latest strike.



There has been a series of missile attacks on militants in Pakistan in recent weeks attributed to US-led coalition forces or Central Intelligence Agency drones based in Afghanistan.



Al-Qaeda chemical and biological weapons expert Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar was killed in a similar missile attack in July. The Egyptian, 54, also known as Abu Khabab al-Masri, had a five-million-dollar bounty on his head.



Pakistan has come under mounting international pressure to clamp down on militants in the rugged tribal belt who are accused of launching attacks on US-led and NATO troops in Afghanistan.



US missile strikes have intensified this year and reports in US media have said that Washington is considering a further boost in operations, possibly including "hot pursuit" raids by ground forces.



A suspected US missile strike on an Islamist training camp in South Waziristan a week ago killed at least 10 militants



During talks with US President George W. Bush last month, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani called on the United States not to act "unilaterally" against Islamic militants in Pakistan.



The government launched negotiations with the Taliban earlier this year but has since launched several military operations, including an ongoing offensive in the Bajaur tribal region which has left around 500 people dead.



Witnesses heard 'drone' aircraft before blast



DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (AP)  Missiles destroyed a suspected militant hide-out near the Afghan border Wednesday where foreign insurgents were known to frequent, killing at least five people, Pakistani officials said.



The reported strike came as a power struggle intensified in Pakistan days after Pervez Musharraf's resignation from the presidency, with a major opposition party backing former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's widower to become the country's next leader.



Four intelligence officials told The Associated Press the missiles destroyed a compound near Wana, the main town in the South Waziristan tribal region. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media.



Initial reports from the area indicated between five and 10 people were killed and several others wounded, they said, but there were no details about the identity of the victims. Foreign militants were known to frequent the compound in the village of Zari Noor, two of the officials said.



Pakistan army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas confirmed there was an explosion near Wana and that several people were killed, but said he could not give any details until the army had investigated. Militants have cordoned off the area, he said, making the job difficult.



There was no claim of responsibility for the apparent attack. However, U.S. forces operate aircraft armed with missiles along the rugged Afghan-Pakistani border.



Waliur Rehman, a shopkeeper in Wana, said he heard the familiar sound of a drone at about 7:30 p.m. followed by two explosions.



"The planes are still in the air. People are scared and are staying indoors," Rehman told the AP by telephone.



A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad said he had no information on the incident.



Pakistan's tribal regions such as South Waziristan are believed to provide sanctuary to pro-Taliban insurgents fighting in Afghanistan as well as members of al-Qaida. Both Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri are believed to be hiding in the rugged and lawless tribal regions along the Afghan-Pakistan border.



Last week, a suspected U.S. missile strike on a militant training camp in another area of South Waziristan killed at least nine people, including foreigners, Pakistani officials said.



Similar strikes have killed at least two senior al-Qaida militants inside Pakistan this year, including an Egyptian explosives and poisons expert, Abu Khabab al-Masri, who died in a strike in late July.



The missile strikes, however, have strained ties between Washington and Islamabad.



Meanwhile, Pakistan's constitution requires the election of a new president by Parliament within 30 days of Musharraf's resignation Monday.



On Wednesday, Bhutto's widower, Asif Ali Zardari, received backing from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, a major opposition party. Zardari leads the largest party in Pakistan's ruling coalition and has played down speculation that he covets the top job.



However, opposition backing will strengthen his hand in a struggle with coalition partner Nawaz Sharif over a compromise candidate to fill the post and the even more urgent issue of restoring judges purged by Musharraf.



A leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Haider Razvi, said it wanted Zardari as president because of his past sacrifices and for his "wisdom and vision" in handling Musharraf's ouster. The MQM, a strong backer of Musharraf, is the second-largest opposition group in Parliament.



Few analysts expect the coalition to collapse, arguing that Sharif and Zardari need to share the burden of tackling Islamic militancy and serious economic problems. However, if it does, Zardari's party could look to the MQM and even elements within the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, Musharraf's main prop, to shore up the government.



The main opposition bloc, the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, said it would wait for the coalition to come up with a candidate before deciding whether to field their own.



Associated Press writers Riaz Khan, Zarar Khan and Stephen Graham in Islamabad, Pakistan contributed to this report.



(with wire reports)



DEVELOPING...







