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Eleven Killed as Pakistan Troops Fire on Van
Sat Feb 28, 2004 06:09 AM ET

By Hafiz Wazir

WANA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani troops opened fire on a van they thought was carrying Islamic militants on Saturday, killing at least 10 people in a region where forces are hunting Osama bin Laden, witnesses and intelligence officials said.

The incident took place in the South Waziristan tribal region -- where Pakistani troops have been hunting fighters from bin Laden's Al Qaeda network -- shortly after missiles were fired on a military camp, they told Reuters.

An intelligence official told Reuters initial investigations suggested those in the van were not militants and that it was "mistaken fire."

A statement from the Pakistani military said some of those killed may have been "terrorists," but added: "The chances of some civilian having been killed cannot be ruled out.

The military said sixteen people had been arrested.

The intelligence official said four armed men traveling in a car fired in the air as troops were trying to defuse rockets in Shulam, a village near Wana, capital of South Waziristan.

He said troops radioed a message to a nearby military post about the fleeing car. "The troops mistook the van, believing it was carrying militants," the official said.

OSAMA'S CAPTURE DENIED Saturday's incident came as U.S. officials denied a report on Iranian state radio which quoted "an informed source" as saying that al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had been captured in the border region but the news was being withheld for later release to help President Bush's re-election prospects.

A senior U.S. defense official denied the report, calling it "another piece of stray voltage that's passing around out there."

Pakistani troops earlier this week arrested 20 suspects in an operation against al Qaeda and Taliban militants in South Waziristan.

The U.S. military said this month that U.S.-led troops in Afghanistan were moving toward coordinated operations along the border -- "a hammer and anvil approach" -- to prevent fleeing al Qaeda fighters from escaping simply by crossing from one country into the other.

Pakistan, a key ally in the U.S.-led war on terror, has stepped-up efforts in recent weeks against al Qaeda and Taliban fighters as the 10,600-strong U.S. force in Afghanistan gears up for a spring offensive against Islamic militants.

Hard to tell exactly what's going on, and who's saying what and when, but it seems it's a red herring story. At least today. Or at least this morning.

You know JFKerry has been sending Iran emails, wonder if he is up to his old tricks again. Starting rumors?