AP Photo/Mohammad Saqlain
Funeral procession of tribal leader Nek Mohammed makes its way to graveyard in Wana, capital of Pakistan's tribal area of South Waziristan, on Friday.
Posted on 06/18/2004 10:52:11 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
WANA, Pakistan (AP) - Pakistani troops killed a former Taliban fighter who led fierce resistance to the army's effort to flush out foreign militants from a rugged region near the Afghan border, the army spokesman said Friday. Nek Mohammed, who was allied with suspected al-Qaida militants, was killed in an overnight mortar assault on a mud-brick fortress in the South Waziristan region. Four others were also killed.
"We were tracking him down and he was killed last night by our hand," Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan told The Associated Press in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital.
Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayyat on Friday told lawmakers in the National Assembly that Mohammed's killing was a "major success."
"We are confident that this killing of Nek Mohammed will help the ongoing operation in South Waziristan, and counter the threat of terrorism in other parts of the country," he said.
About 70 foreign militants have been killed in South Waziristan since June 9, when the army launched the latest offensive against them, he said, adding the operation will continue until the last terrorist hiding there is killed. Seventeen soldiers have also died.
Mohammed's men are responsible for several deadly ambushes against the army and led a group of heavily armed holdouts during a March standoff that left more than 120 people dead. He later agreed to cooperate with authorities, but reneged on promises to turn over foreign fighters, prompting the latest round of hostilities.
The U.S. military, pursuing al-Qaida on the Afghan side of the border, has been pressing hard for Islamabad to step up military activity in Waziristan.
The area is considered a possible hideout for al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden, though there is no hard intelligence on his whereabouts.
Mohammed was apparently staying in the home of another tribal leader, Sher Zaman, when the army attacked with mortar fire late Thursday. Residents said that in addition to Mohammed, two of Zaman's grown-up sons, his grandson and an associate of Mohammed were killed in the attack in Pir Bagh, near Wana, the main town in South Waziristan.
On Friday, Mohammed's body was taken to his village of Kaloosha, about six miles west of Wana, where thousands of people attended his funeral.
Mohammed's death was a major victory for the Pakistani army, which has been embarrassed by its forces' heavy losses in fighting with the militants. In the March assault, Pakistani forces were surprised on the first day, suffering heavy casualties and allowing hundreds of suspects to flee.
Government officials had said they believed a high-ranking al-Qaida operative - possibly bin Laden No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri - was surrounded in the March attack, but no senior leaders were found. An Uzbek militant, Tahir Yuldash, was reportedly injured in the assault, but he got away.
Pakistan, a key ally of the United States in its war on terror, has launched several operations in South Waziristan in the past year to flush out suspected al-Qaida militants. Hundreds of foreign fighters - including Arabs, Central Asians and Afghans, are still believed to be hiding there.
Associated Press reporter Munir Ahmad contributed to this report from Islamabad, Pakistan.
Funeral procession of tribal leader Nek Mohammed makes its way to graveyard in Wana, capital of Pakistan's tribal area of South Waziristan, on Friday.
fyi
Good Riddance
That photo looks like a rich target environement.
Translation: The US tracked him and killed him. We stood around and for the sake of Allah, bravely smoked cigarre...err...secured the perimeter.
Thanks Norm.
Good news.
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