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US Strike Kills 8 Militants in Pakistan11/20 08:02
MIR ALI, Pakistan (AP) -- A suspected U.S. missile strike killed at least
eight militants Friday in northwestern Pakistan, officials said, the second
attack this week in an area believed to hold many insurgents who fled from an
army offensive elsewhere in the Afghan border region.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told visiting CIA director Leon Panetta
that any new U.S. strategy for Afghanistan must take into account Pakistan's
concerns, especially fears that more troops could push militants across the
border into Pakistan, according to a statement by Gilani.
The CIA is believed to be behind the more than 40 missile strikes to have
hit suspected al-Qaida and Taliban targets over the last year close to the
border region. American officials do not generally acknowledge the attacks,
which are unpopular among many here.
A U.S. drone fired two missiles at a compound being used by suspected
Taliban militants in a village near Mir Ali in North Waziristan, according to
two intelligence officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they
weren't authorized to release the information.
The compound was destroyed and eight bodies were pulled from the rubble, the
officials said, adding that two other suspected militants were wounded.
The targeted compound in the village of Shakhwadi was owned by two brothers,
and Taliban militants were frequently seen visiting the building, which was
cordoned off after the missile strike, the officials said.
Ahmed Nawaz Dawar, a local tribesman, said Taliban militants buried those
killed and took the wounded to a hospital.
Another suspected U.S. missile strike killed three militants and wounded
four just after midnight Thursday in Shana Khuwara village in North Waziristan,
officials said.
Anti-American sentiment is pervasive throughout Pakistan. The Pakistani
government publicly condemns the U.S. strikes as violations of its sovereignty,
but many analysts believe the two countries have a secret deal allowing them.
The U.S. Embassy declined to comment on the CIA director's visit to the
country. American security and government leaders have frequently visited
Pakistan in recent weeks to discuss its role in stabilizing Afghanistan as
President Barack Obama prepares to announce his decision on strategy and troop
levels in the country.
Pakistan's army launched its offensive against the Pakistani Taliban in
South Waziristan in mid-October and has retaken many towns in the region. The
United States has welcomed the effort, but wants the Pakistanis to do more
against the insurgents in the border area blamed for violence in Afghanistan.
Militants, meanwhile, are believed to have fled north to escape the fighting.
Underscoring their resilience, officials said five Pakistani troops and six
militants were killed in a gunbattle late Thursday at a security outpost in the
Bajur tribal region --- the site of a military campaign against Taliban
militants that ended with a declaration of victory in March.
The fighting broke out after militants ambushed the outpost near the village
of Chinar with rockets and gunfire, according to local administrator Ghulam
Sadullah Khan.
The Pakistani military said it was looking into the report.
It was the second day of clashes in the area. Three militants and one
Pakistani soldier were killed in fighting Wednesday.
Islamist militants also have retaliated against the offensive with bombings.
Two police officers were killed and four others wounded when a
remote-controlled bomb destroyed their vehicle in Peshawar early Friday, said
city police Chief Liaquat Ali Khan.
The attack occurred hours after a suicide bomber killed 19 people in the
city, which is the main gateway to the al-Qaida and Taliban-inhabited border
region.
Pakistani officials flagged the offensive in South Waziristan several months
before it actually began, which critics say allowed the militants to escape and
plan the current wave of terror.
(KA)
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