Posted on 03/24/2006 1:30:43 PM PST by NormsRevenge
MIRAN SHAH, Pakistan - Pakistani security forces backed by helicopter gunships killed at least 15 suspected Taliban sympathizers Friday in the latest flare-up of violence near the Afghan border, the Pakistani army said.
One soldier also was killed.
The top army spokesman described the continuing bloodshed in the North Waziristan tribal region as "disturbing" and said efforts to control it were costing the Pakistani military "heavily."
"Eighty percent of the people in the area are sitting on the fence and watching for which side buckles, either the government or the militants, and they will go with the winner," Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan said.
Friday's clashes occurred near the region's main town, Miran Shah, about 195 miles southwest of the capital, Islamabad.
They follow almost daily low-level violence throughout the rugged area since intense fighting earlier this month reportedly killed scores of pro-Taliban tribesmen. The violence has heightened concern that Pakistan is losing its grip on the lawless region, a possible hiding place of Osama bin Laden.
Friday's fighting started at 3 a.m. when militants firing rockets attacked a Pakistani military post in Tut Naray, about 22 miles west of Miran Shah. They killed one soldier and wounded five others, a security official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Sultan said Pakistani troops backed by helicopters retaliated immediately and chased fleeing militants to a nearby area.
Sultan put the number of militants killed at 15-20. He said that was based on reports from the field of militants burying bodies and communication intercepts. Weapons and pools of blood were found in the area.
The violence broke out a day after President Gen. Pervez Musharraf ordered foreign militants to leave Pakistan or be "crushed."
Syed Zaheerul Islam, the top government administrator of the region, told AP that 20 "miscreants" were killed in the fighting, although he offered no evidence to back his claim.
Pakistan, a key ally of the United States in its war on terror, has deployed 80,000 troops in its tribal regions near the porous Afghan border in an effort to flush out foreign militants and their local supporters.
More than two years of army operations in North and South Waziristan appear to have hardened local resistance to the security forces. Tribal elders claim there are no foreigners in their areas, but security officials maintain that hundreds of foreigners, including Arabs, Uzbeks, Chechens and Afghans are hiding there.
Meanwhile, a bomb Friday destroyed a truck carrying fuel to the main U.S. military base at Bagram in Afghanistan soon after it crossed the border from Pakistan. No one was hurt. The incident appeared unrelated to the fighting in North Waziristan, which is about 125 miles to the south.
Abrarullah Murad, the deputy border commander for Afghanistan's Nangahar province, said the bomb, apparently planted on the truck, went off about a half-mile from the Afghan border town of Torkham. Some 10,560 gallons of diesel fuel went up in flames.
Three men traveling on the truck were detained for questioning. Officials could not give their nationalities.
The attack comes amid a wave of violence in eastern and southern Afghanistan, mostly blamed on militant supporters of the Taliban militia ousted from power by U.S.-led forces in late 2001.
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Associated Press reporters Munir Ahmad and Paul Garwood in Islamabad; Sailab Mahsud in Dera Ismail Khan; and Amir Shah in Kabul, Afghanistan, contributed to this report.
A Pakistan soldier stands alert at check point outside Miran Shah, capital of Pakistani tribal region of north Waziristan along the Afghan border, Friday, March 24, 2006. Pakistani troops have killed at least 15 suspected Taliban sympathizers in the latest bout of violence to flare near the Afghan border, according to Pakistani army officials. (AP Photo/Abdullah Noor)
A Pakistani camel owner Abdullah sits on chair with his camel, Friday, March 24, 2006 in Multan, Pakistan during a celebration of Pakistan's Day. A nation-wide rallies and funfairs are organised by people to celebrate the Pakistan's Day. (AP Photo/Khalid Tanveer)
This is the number one thing that's going to save our butts from a bad attack. If they have US special forces and Pakistan military on their rears it'll be real hard to reconstitute. IMHO.
Is that camel part of a circus act?
Not sure, should be, huh? pretty good balancing act.
Not too bad for a hostile, Is,amist country that is hostile to the U.S. and undermining the War on Terror, eh?
The Pakistani Army and ISI protects the hardcore terrorists and kills ordinary innocent civilians to show them as terrorist body count to earn more brownie points from the US.
Sorry to reveal the bitter truth about your country.
First of all, MY country is the United States of America, thank you. I don't know what yours is, but I know you're upset becasue I revealed a lot of the facts about your precious Brahminocracy on the other thread.
Second, you really should read the article before you start your rant. It's clear from your comments that you didn't. This article is one of numerous reports about the Pakistani forces HELPING us track down and kill terrorists. That's more than India has been willing to do. I know you and the other America-hating Hinducrats have trouble coping with that.
Yes, there are jihadist elements within Pakistan. The Pakistani government is trying to do what it can to help eliminate them. That is a good thing, and for you to trash it makes me wonder where your real loyalties lie.
this drama keeps happening where small flies are killed while the big guns like bin laden escape and live under unofficial protecion of puketan's ISI! and there are more and more terrorists raised by pukes-tan's ISI everyday.
more terrorists being sent to kashmir, more funds for anti-american activities - thats the true image of pukestan. pukes are always pukes. a dog's tail is always crooked, cannot be made straight. so is pukestan! hell, why insult a good, loyal animal like dog now by comparing it with scum like pukes!
Getting the small fry is important too.
I believe bin Laden is in Iran these days (if he's not dead, as Congressman Weldon seems to think), but he has been in Waziristan (which, unfortunately, Pakistan has seemingly never been able to control.) The Pakistanis helped us look for him and the effort seems to have chased him out of there. Contrary to what you would have us believe, that is a good thing.
Unfortunately, there is a notable Islamist presence in Pakistan's government, and they would like to topple President Musharraf. This limits how far he can go, but he goes as far as he can to help us. Your refusal to acknowledge this is revealing.
And the fact that you can't ven type the name of the country without being insulting and that neither you nor any of your friends can cite a single piece of documentation for any of what you say reveals the weakness of your argument. You're just ranting, and your haterd for Christians, Sikhs, Muslims, and America is showing.
Your problem is that you clearly find it unacceptable that the Musharraf government was involved in an operation that killed terrorists. I mean, how can you spread hatred for these people if they keep helping? Bummer.
The fact, as this story notes (and it is not the first and won't be the last, despite your obvious wishes) is that the Pakistani government is providing help in the war on terror, which is more than India has done for us. In fact, the Pakistani cooperation in the WOT deeply upsets the Indian regime and its stooges like you and others. They seem to think that if they just scream loudly enough, they can stop us from working with the Pakistanis and vice versa.
I expect India to move more troops to flood the LOC any day now.
so whenever i mention pakistan as pukes-tan and expose their real image, it amounts to ranting and hatred agianst Christians, Sikhs, Muslims, and America!
wow, LOL! you surely must be on a lot of LSD whenever u come to participate here! nice hallucinations. but, get back to reality once in a while, else you will also end up hallucinating just like bin laden, who has wet dreams that he has conquered America. LOL!
You know, every time you and your friends respond, you just embarrass yourselves more.
Well, I guess you must just be a jihadi, according to our Indian friends.
Seriously, your comments are absoultely right. This is why the help Pakistan has been giving us is so important. But some here can't stand the fact that Pakistan is helping America in the War on Terror, so they trash anyone who points it out. It's becasue THEIR country can't be bothered to do anything but pay lip service.
you defame all those brave souls, who gave their lives fighting against terrorism so that we can still have our freedoms, whenever you support the terrorists and terrorist states like pukestan!
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