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| Six militants die in S Waziristan |
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Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Four killed in Swat blast; five troops hurt in N Waziristan
Sailab Mahsud & Mushtaq Yusufzai
TANK/PESHAWAR: In the first attack by militants against the military in South Waziristan after a two and a half years gap, the roadside checkpoint of the paramilitary Frontier Corps at Dargai area was attacked on Sunday night and there were reports that at least six attackers, belonging to the Mahsud tribe were killed and several others were injured in intense retaliatory firing by the well-entrenched troops.
This was the first attack on the security forces in South Waziristan tribal agency after the peace agreement signed between the government and Mahsud tribal militants led by commander Baitullah Mahsud in February 2005. The attack could trigger more violence as the situation was already tense in South Waziristan due to the abduction of 16 soldiers from the Frontier Corps (FC) five days ago.
Tribal sources in Wana, headquarters of South Waziristan, said a group of 60 to 70 militants attacked the Dargai checkpoint manned by the FC personnel around 10 pm on Sunday. The exchange of fire continued until 4:00 am on Monday with both sides using light and heavy weapons. The daring and unprovoked assault by the militants destroyed the peace of the area. The firing could be heard far and wide.
Tribal sources said the attackers suffered more losses as at least six of them were killed in the fighting. The military said its troops didn’t suffer any loss and the militants didn’t make any claim regarding the casualties among the soldiers. Military spokesman Maj-Gen Waheed Arshad said three militants were killed in the retaliatory firing by the troops.
As the attackers were mostly Mahsud tribesmen and the attack took place in an area populated by Ahmadzai Wazir tribe, it could trigger tension and even hostility between the Mahsud and Ahmadzai Wazir tribes, or specifically between the militants from the two tribes. There were reports that Ahmadzai Wazir tribesmen and the militants among them were making preparations to strengthen their defences and to keep a watch on the activities of the Mahsud tribesmen.
Tribal sources said Baitullah Mahsud and his men were not happy with the Ahmadzai Wazir tribal militants for raising a tribal Lashkar on the wishes of the Pakistan government some months ago and starting a battle to evict foreign fighters belonging to Uzbekistan from the Wana area. Baitullah Mahsud considered the Uzbeks led by Tahir Yuldashev as true Mujahideen who rose against communist rule in Uzbekistan and later fought against foreign occupying forces in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, unknown people intercepted and seized 14 vehicles including 12 pick-up trucks and two passenger buses owned by the Ahmadzai Wazir tribesmen after blockading the Wana-Jandola road Monday. Tribal sources said these people were from the Mahsud tribe and were seizing the vehicles in retaliation to the pro-government role played by the Ahmadzai Wazirs during the Wana uprising against the Uzbeks, most of whom have reportedly taken refuge in the Mahsud tribal territory after being evicted from Wana area.
The busy Wana-Jandola road was closed and there was no traffic from Tank and Dera Ismail Khan to Wana and other towns inhabited by the Ahmadzai Wazir tribespeople on Monday due to growing tension in the area.
Assistant political agent in South Waziristan, Khaista Rahman, told The News that vehicles had been seized on this road and a jirga of tribal elders had been sent to the Mahsud tribesmen to convince them to return the vehicles to their owners.
Our Mingora correspondent adds: Four persons were killed and seven others injured when their double cabin vehicle was blown up with a remote control bomb on Banr-Oshu road near Kalam in Swat district on Monday.
The dead included Dr Samiullah, Principal Paramedical Institute Saidu Sharif, Ali Muhammad Umerzai, resident of Charsadda and manager of a hotel in Kalam, Rafiullah son of Tamraiz and Bakht Afsar resident of Mingora. The injured were identified as Ali Bahadur, Principal Staff Officer (PSO) district Nazim Swat, Fazal Rashid, Shehzad, Shahbaz, Faisal and two children Amanullah and Afzal. The injured were taken to Kalam hospital and later shifted to Saidu Sharif.
The blast completely destroyed the vehicle. The explosion was so severe that people thought it was lightning. Dr Samiullah and PSO Ali Bahadur Khan were returning after having a lunch with the tehsildar Kalam following their visit to the scenic valley. The hotel manager along with other guests sought a lift from them. They were on the way when some unidentified assailants targeted their vehicle with a remote control device. Motive of the attack could not be known.
Mohammad Mujtaba adds from North Waziristan: Five soldiers were wounded in a roadside bomb explosion targeting a military convoy and in attacks on security checkpoints in different parts of the agency on Monday.
Security officials and tribal sources said three Pakistan Army soldiers were wounded when their convoy was attacked with an improvised explosives device (IED) planted on the roadside near Karamkot, a village in Mir Ali tehsil sited at a distance of 18 kilometres from Miramshah town on the main Miramshah-Mir Ali-Bannu road. The blast triggered by remote control badly damaged a military vehicle and injured its three occupants. The injured soldiers were evacuated to a military hospital in Bannu in helicopter.
The troops, according to Karamkot villagers, blocked the road and resorted to firing after the attack. However, nobody was harmed by the retaliatory firing of the soldiers. The military convoy was on its way to Miramshah, headquarters of North Waziristan from the garrison town of Bannu. Such convoys invariably come under IED attacks since the scrapping of the North Waziristan peace accord by the tribal militants on July 15.
Meanwhile, two security checkpoints came under attack Sunday night. Security officials said suspected militants attacked the Gulam Khan checkpoint sited near the border with Afghanistan at a distance of 15 kilometres from Miramshah. The troops manning the roadside post returned fire but there were no reports of any casualty.
The remote security checkpoint at Mana in Shawal valley was also attacked during the night. The checkpoint is located 70 kilometres west of Miramshah. One soldier was wounded in the attack. The troops returned the fire.
Meanwhile, the Gora Qabristan checkpoint on the outskirts of Miramshah town on the main road to Mir Ali again came under attack after sunset Monday. The suspected militants used small arms to fire at the post and the troops fired in retaliation. The exchange of fire continued for almost half an hour but there were no reports of human losses.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
