US soldiers killed by roadside bomb near Pakistani school
Source: Agencies |
February 4, 2010, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
PAKISTAN'S Taliban has claimed responsibility for a bomb that killed three United States soldiers outside a girls school in the northwest of the country yesterday and threatened more attacks on Americans.
Three children and a Pakistani paramilitary soldier were also killed and 45 people were wounded in the blast near Swat Valley, where the government mounted a crackdown nearly a year ago it said had cleared out Taliban militants.
"We will continue such attacks on Americans," Taliban spokesman Azam Tariq said.
The blast, triggered by a remote-controlled device, was a grim reminder of the resilience of Taliban militants determined to topple the government of President Asif Ali Zardari, a deeply unpopular pro-American leader.
Pakistan's Taliban have bombed markets, schools and military and police facilities despite major government security offensives that have destroyed some of their bases and US drone aircraft strikes that have killed their leaders.
The three US soldiers were part of a small unit that trains Pakistani Frontier Corps responsible for security in northwestern areas near the Afghan border seen as part of a global militant hub.
They were on their way to attend the opening ceremony of a new girls school that had recently been renovated with US humanitarian assistance when the bomb exploded, leaving a crater a few feet away from the school.
"The carnage at the school in Lower Dir clearly shows the terrorists' vision," said a US embassy statement.
The appearance of Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud in a farewell video with the suicide bomber who killed seven CIA employees in Afghanistan in December, suggests the group poses an increasingly complex threat to Pakistan's security.
The US is leaning heavily on long-time ally Pakistan to help it stabilize Afghanistan, a top foreign policy priority for President Barack Obama.
It wants Islamabad to eliminate al-Qaida and Afghan Taliban militants who cross over the border to attack US and NATO-led troops in Afghanistan.
But Pakistan is focused on fighting homegrown Taliban who have blown up dozens of girls' schools and publicly flogged and executed those deemed immoral.
Three children and a Pakistani paramilitary soldier were also killed and 45 people were wounded in the blast near Swat Valley, where the government mounted a crackdown nearly a year ago it said had cleared out Taliban militants.
"We will continue such attacks on Americans," Taliban spokesman Azam Tariq said.
The blast, triggered by a remote-controlled device, was a grim reminder of the resilience of Taliban militants determined to topple the government of President Asif Ali Zardari, a deeply unpopular pro-American leader.
Pakistan's Taliban have bombed markets, schools and military and police facilities despite major government security offensives that have destroyed some of their bases and US drone aircraft strikes that have killed their leaders.
The three US soldiers were part of a small unit that trains Pakistani Frontier Corps responsible for security in northwestern areas near the Afghan border seen as part of a global militant hub.
They were on their way to attend the opening ceremony of a new girls school that had recently been renovated with US humanitarian assistance when the bomb exploded, leaving a crater a few feet away from the school.
"The carnage at the school in Lower Dir clearly shows the terrorists' vision," said a US embassy statement.
The appearance of Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud in a farewell video with the suicide bomber who killed seven CIA employees in Afghanistan in December, suggests the group poses an increasingly complex threat to Pakistan's security.
The US is leaning heavily on long-time ally Pakistan to help it stabilize Afghanistan, a top foreign policy priority for President Barack Obama.
It wants Islamabad to eliminate al-Qaida and Afghan Taliban militants who cross over the border to attack US and NATO-led troops in Afghanistan.
But Pakistan is focused on fighting homegrown Taliban who have blown up dozens of girls' schools and publicly flogged and executed those deemed immoral.
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