Related News
Rockets hit base in Pakistan, killing 3 soldiers
Source: Agencies |
August 14, 2011, Sunday
|
Online Edition
Online Edition
SUSPECTED militants fired rockets at a paramilitary base in northwestern Pakistan during an independence day ceremony today, killing three soldiers and wounding 23 others, intelligence officials said.
Soldiers had just finished raising the Pakistani flag and were gathering for speeches when the rockets hit the base in Miran Shah, the main town in the North Waziristan tribal area, said the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
North Waziristan is the main sanctuary for Taliban and al-Qaida fighters in Pakistan's semiautonomous tribal region along the Afghan border. The militants often launch attacks against foreign troops in Afghanistan.
The U.S. has repeatedly demanded that Pakistan launch an offensive against the militants in North Waziristan, but the government has refused, saying its forces are stretched too thin by operations in other parts of the tribal area.
Many analysts believe Pakistan is reluctant to target Afghan Taliban militants with whom it has historic ties and who could be useful allies in Afghanistan after foreign troops withdraw.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the area is filled with Pakistani Taliban militants who have declared war against the state. In contrast, the Afghan Taliban have concentrated on fighting in Afghanistan.
Also today, a bomb ripped through a two-story hotel in the southwestern province of Baluchistan, collapsing the building and killing at least three people, said senior police officer Jawed Iqbal Gharshin. At least 17 people were wounded in the attack in Jafferabad district, located some 350 kilometers east of the provincial capital of Quetta, he said.
Authorities fear the death toll could rise because there were more than 30 people in the hotel when the attack happened, said Gharshin. Rescue workers are searching the rubble for missing people, he said.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Baluchistan has experienced a decades-long insurgency by nationalists who want a greater share of the region's natural resources. The province, which is located next to Afghanistan, is also believed to be home to many Taliban militants.
Elsewhere in Baluchistan, two gunmen riding a motorcycle killed a local journalist in the city of Khuzdar, located some 270 kilometers from Quetta, said area police chief Qadir Shaikh. Munir Shakir was walking to his office in the main bazaar when he was attacked, he said.
Soldiers had just finished raising the Pakistani flag and were gathering for speeches when the rockets hit the base in Miran Shah, the main town in the North Waziristan tribal area, said the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
North Waziristan is the main sanctuary for Taliban and al-Qaida fighters in Pakistan's semiautonomous tribal region along the Afghan border. The militants often launch attacks against foreign troops in Afghanistan.
The U.S. has repeatedly demanded that Pakistan launch an offensive against the militants in North Waziristan, but the government has refused, saying its forces are stretched too thin by operations in other parts of the tribal area.
Many analysts believe Pakistan is reluctant to target Afghan Taliban militants with whom it has historic ties and who could be useful allies in Afghanistan after foreign troops withdraw.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the area is filled with Pakistani Taliban militants who have declared war against the state. In contrast, the Afghan Taliban have concentrated on fighting in Afghanistan.
Also today, a bomb ripped through a two-story hotel in the southwestern province of Baluchistan, collapsing the building and killing at least three people, said senior police officer Jawed Iqbal Gharshin. At least 17 people were wounded in the attack in Jafferabad district, located some 350 kilometers east of the provincial capital of Quetta, he said.
Authorities fear the death toll could rise because there were more than 30 people in the hotel when the attack happened, said Gharshin. Rescue workers are searching the rubble for missing people, he said.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Baluchistan has experienced a decades-long insurgency by nationalists who want a greater share of the region's natural resources. The province, which is located next to Afghanistan, is also believed to be home to many Taliban militants.
Elsewhere in Baluchistan, two gunmen riding a motorcycle killed a local journalist in the city of Khuzdar, located some 270 kilometers from Quetta, said area police chief Qadir Shaikh. Munir Shakir was walking to his office in the main bazaar when he was attacked, he said.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
