Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Philadelphia Inquirer
October 6, 2008
Militants' anger over the attacks in Pakistan may mean a senior leader has been killed.
By Ishtiaq Mahsud, Associated Press
DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan -- Taliban militants are furious about the latest apparent U.S. missile strike in Pakistan, indicating a senior member may be among two dozen people killed, officials and residents said yesterday.
The attack Friday on the North Waziristan tribal region was believed to have killed several Arab fighters, but government officials have been notably quiet.
However, two Pakistani intelligence officials said insurgents were moving aggressively in the area while using harsh language against local residents, including calling them "salable commodities" - an accusation of spying.
The intelligence officials, who said their information came from informants and field agents, interpreted the Taliban's anger as a sign that a senior militant may have been among at least 24 people killed. But that has not been confirmed, said the officials, who sought anonymity because they were not allowed to speak to media.
The United States has ramped up cross-border strikes that target alleged al-Qaeda and Taliban hideouts in Pakistan's tribal regions bordering Afghanistan. Pakistani leaders have condemned the attacks as violations of their country's sovereignty.
Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas, Pakistan's chief army spokesman, said that at least 20 people died in the attack, eight of them foreign militants.
Two residents in the area targeted Friday said Taliban fighters warned people not to discuss the missile strike or inspect the rubble at the site. The residents requested anonymity for fear of Taliban retribution.
Taliban and top Pakistani government spokesmen either could not be reached, did not return calls, or declined to comment on the strike.
A U.S. military spokesman in Afghanistan, First Lt. Nathan Perry, did not deny U.S. involvement but said he had "no information to give."
Extremists based in Pakistan's border regions have been blamed for attacks on American and NATO forces in Afghanistan and for violence inside Pakistan. Al-Qaeda leaders including Osama bin Laden are believed to be hiding in the lawless tribal regions along the border.
Just last month, a suicide truck bombing killed dozens of people and severely damaged the Marriott Hotel in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad.
Pakistan's fledgling civilian government has tried to convince the population that it cannot duck the fight against militancy. But leaders also warn that American attacks in Pakistan inflame public opinion against the West and undermine the fight against terrorism.
On Wednesday, intelligence agencies are to privately brief lawmakers about the militant threat facing Pakistan during a special joint session of parliament.
Pakistan has been carrying out its own operations against insurgents in the northwest.
Security forces yesterday killed two alleged Taliban commanders in Swat, one of whom was believed to be affiliated with al-Qaeda, said Maj. Nasir Ali, an army spokesman.
In the Bajur tribal region, overnight clashes with security forces killed five suspected militants, police official Fazl Rabi said. A bomb blast yesterday wounded five people in a compound where tribal elders were meeting to discuss ways to rid the area of militants, Rabi said.
October 6, 2008
Militants' anger over the attacks in Pakistan may mean a senior leader has been killed.
By Ishtiaq Mahsud, Associated Press
DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan -- Taliban militants are furious about the latest apparent U.S. missile strike in Pakistan, indicating a senior member may be among two dozen people killed, officials and residents said yesterday.
The attack Friday on the North Waziristan tribal region was believed to have killed several Arab fighters, but government officials have been notably quiet.
However, two Pakistani intelligence officials said insurgents were moving aggressively in the area while using harsh language against local residents, including calling them "salable commodities" - an accusation of spying.
The intelligence officials, who said their information came from informants and field agents, interpreted the Taliban's anger as a sign that a senior militant may have been among at least 24 people killed. But that has not been confirmed, said the officials, who sought anonymity because they were not allowed to speak to media.
The United States has ramped up cross-border strikes that target alleged al-Qaeda and Taliban hideouts in Pakistan's tribal regions bordering Afghanistan. Pakistani leaders have condemned the attacks as violations of their country's sovereignty.
Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas, Pakistan's chief army spokesman, said that at least 20 people died in the attack, eight of them foreign militants.
Two residents in the area targeted Friday said Taliban fighters warned people not to discuss the missile strike or inspect the rubble at the site. The residents requested anonymity for fear of Taliban retribution.
Taliban and top Pakistani government spokesmen either could not be reached, did not return calls, or declined to comment on the strike.
A U.S. military spokesman in Afghanistan, First Lt. Nathan Perry, did not deny U.S. involvement but said he had "no information to give."
Extremists based in Pakistan's border regions have been blamed for attacks on American and NATO forces in Afghanistan and for violence inside Pakistan. Al-Qaeda leaders including Osama bin Laden are believed to be hiding in the lawless tribal regions along the border.
Just last month, a suicide truck bombing killed dozens of people and severely damaged the Marriott Hotel in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad.
Pakistan's fledgling civilian government has tried to convince the population that it cannot duck the fight against militancy. But leaders also warn that American attacks in Pakistan inflame public opinion against the West and undermine the fight against terrorism.
On Wednesday, intelligence agencies are to privately brief lawmakers about the militant threat facing Pakistan during a special joint session of parliament.
Pakistan has been carrying out its own operations against insurgents in the northwest.
Security forces yesterday killed two alleged Taliban commanders in Swat, one of whom was believed to be affiliated with al-Qaeda, said Maj. Nasir Ali, an army spokesman.
In the Bajur tribal region, overnight clashes with security forces killed five suspected militants, police official Fazl Rabi said. A bomb blast yesterday wounded five people in a compound where tribal elders were meeting to discuss ways to rid the area of militants, Rabi said.