முஸ்லீம் பயங்கரவாதிகள் பாகிஸ்தான் முஸ்லீம்களை தாக்கியதில் 31 முஸ்லீம்கள் பலி

Roadside bombing, clashes leave 31 dead in Pakistan - Summary
Posted : Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:37:44 GMT
Author : DPA
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Islamabad - Government forces killed 23 militants in three separate clashes while eight people, most of them policemen, were killed Thursday in a roadside bombing in Pakistan's restive North- West Frontier Province (NWFP), officials said. "Gunship helicopters targeted a vehicle carrying seven miscreants in Koza Bandi area of Kabal in Swat valley. All of them died in the action," said military spokesman Major Murad Khan.

"Fifteen more were killed when security forces hit a militant hideout in the same area. Numerous people were injured," he added.

Separately, the law enforcers stopped a suspect vehicle at a security check post in Bara Bandi are in the Kabal sub-district. A burqa-clad person came out and tried to reach the security personnel who after some warning shots opened fire.

Later on, it was discovered that a militant was disguised as a female. His other comrades in the vehicle managed to flee after a brief exchange of fire, said Major Murad.

Swat has seen resurgence of violence in recent weeks where the followers of a radical cleric Maulana Fazlullah are waging a war against the government forces for the enforcement of Taliban rule in the scenic valley, formerly a tourist destination in NWFP.

Meanwhile, eight people, including seven policemen died when a roadside bomb struck a police bus in Bannu district of the province.

"Suspected Islamist militants detonated a remote-controlled explosive device when the prison van was crossing a bridge over the Kurram River, killing six policemen and a passerby," a senior police officer, Waqas Hasan, said.

One injured policeman on succumbed to his injuries later in the day.

Hasan said the blast was so intense that it threw the police vehicle off the bridge and onto the dry riverbed. The explosion also blew a gaping hole in the concrete bridge, he said.

The bus, which was carrying only law enforcement officers, was going to a local prison to transport defendants on trial from the detention facility to courts.

A security officer in the area suspected the attack was carried out in revenge for offensives launched by the government against militants in Pakistan's north-western regions.

"Militants from the tribal areas are now increasingly taking vengeance on security forces," the officer said.

The military said Wednesday that its forces killed around 50 insurgents during clashes in different tribal districts near the Afghan frontier.

Bannu borders the North Waziristan tribal district, a sanctuary of pro-Taliban militants, including foreign fighters, and it has seen several recent deadly attacks on police and military targets.