Posted on 08/11/2007 2:27:55 PM PDT by DeaconBenjamin
ISLAMABAD — Pakistani helicopter gunships launched new assaults Saturday on al-Qaida and Taliban hideouts in the mountainous northwest as President Pervez Musharraf prepared to address a peace summit in Kabul.
Cobra helicopters killed three suspected militants, pounding what was believed to be their base after a firefight Saturday in Mir Ali town in North Waziristan tribal district, the military said.
"A security convoy was passing when an improvised explosive device planted by militants exploded, causing no harm to the security personnel," chief military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad said.
"Armed miscreants then attacked security men with automatic weapons that injured a soldier. In retaliatory firing by helicopters three miscreants were killed," Arshad said.
The continuing violence in the tribal area comes amid a joint tribal gathering organized by Pakistan and the Afghan government in Kabul to discuss ways to counter the al-Qaida and Taliban threat.
Musharraf cancelled his trip Thursday to the inaugural session of the "peace jirga" which is being attended by around 700 tribal elders from the border regions.
The jirga is scheduled to end on Sunday and the foreign ministry in Islamabad said late Friday the president had agreed "in principle" to address the closing session.
Musharraf's decision to attend the talk-fest followed a conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice who telephoned him Thursday to discuss the jirga as well as reports he was considering imposing a state of emergency, the foreign ministry said.
The turnaround also followed a call late Friday from Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who again urged him to attend the gathering which runs to Sunday.
Relations between Karzai and Musharraf have been strained over the resurgence of the Taliban, which was driven from government by a U.S.-led coalition in 2001 after having been helped to power by Pakistan in 1996.
The border regions have become an intense headache for Musharraf, who is facing accusations from Washington and at home that not enough is being done to root out the terrorist presence on the Pakistani side of the border.
He has been angered by the accusations, and suggestions of unilateral U.S. airstrikes on the region.
While the Kabul jirga, brokered by U.S. President George W Bush during a meeting in Washington in September with Karzai and Musharraf, had meant to bring together representatives of all the tribal regions, elders from two of the most volatile areas boycotted.
North and South Waziristan refused to send delegates, citing the lack of Taliban representation and saying that without all parties to the problem being present, no solution could be reached.
North and South Waziristan, two of Pakistan's seven border tribal areas, have become notorious hideouts for operatives of both the Taliban and al-Qaida, which use the region to plan assaults in Pakistan, Afghanistan and worldwide.
Pakistani media have reported that Taliban and al-Qaida operatives intimidate and sometimes murder people who oppose their presence.
Arshad earlier said security forces were focussing on squeezing them out.
"We are responding with greater force against militant attacks on security forces now," Arshad said Friday. "The action is not being done under any outside pressure. We know al-Qaida is present in the region, there are Taliban elements and their local supporters and we are acting against them in our own national interest."
Musharraf on Thursday decided not to impose a state of emergency, ignoring the advice of aides who wanted strong action to prevent more instability in the troubled nation.
ping
Damn “miscreants”.
Without going into the theological ramifications of your observation, I will say that I wouldn’t want to be them right now.
especially with Musharraf skipping the “peace jirga”
I stand corrected, he skipped the initial opening event.. but will still make a showing. Thanks!
With many in his nation wanting him dead, I can’t say that I blame Musharraf all that much for not attending this conference. I do think it would be helpful if he did.
If he is pushed into attending and is killed, who are we going to get to stand up next? It seems like that would be a very short list.
Given the mixed group at the jirga, I would agree he is taking his life in his hands by attending.
FYI
bump
What might be helpful would be him inviting the leaders of those two provinces to the capital for talks. At that time he could offer them a variety of incentives to get them to fall into line.
Other than that, his increase in military exercises may be the best we could hope for.
I have thought Mursharraf was dealing with a very dicey situation. I’ve appreciated the help he has given, perhaps more accurately the positive attitude as much as anything else.
I like the term “miscreants” better than “insurgents”. Insurgent gives the murderous jerks too much status.
Unfortunately, there was a report just yesterday that all the known Al Qaeda and Taliban camps had been emptied out in the past few days, so they may have been warned off by Pakistan’s ISI.
Uh, yeah. Now that all the camps are empty!
I know. But does that make it easier for us to track where they are going, and find them there?
Musharraf is finally cooperating. It sounds like North and South Waziristan refused to send “piece” delegates and got MUSH all bent out of shape. No secret now where the Taliban is holed up. I only hope we have some specialized forces in there to get Ben and the Boys..
Nice. Pakis bomb empty hideouts and say “see, we’re fighting terrorists”. If they HAD actually got any people, they would have been women and children visiting for a wedding.
You weren’t paying attention. They found some miscreants.
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