The Hindu : International : 50 more Taliban men killed in Waziristan

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 10, 2007
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International

50 more Taliban men killed in Waziristan

Nirupama Subramanian

Army mum on civilian deaths

ISLAMABAD: Fighting continued to rage in North Waziristan on Tuesday with fighter jets of the Pakistan Air Force bombing targets near Mir Ali on the third day of clashes between the military and pro-Taliban militants.

Military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad said there were unconfirmed reports of 50 more pro-Taliban militants having been killed in the air strikes on Tuesday afternoon.

The military said 150 militants and 45 soldiers have so far been killed in the clashes that erupted out on Sunday after militants ambushed a military convoy.

A spokesman for the militants told local media that 60 soldiers were killed and five captured while 11 military vehicles were destroyed in the clashes, said to be the fiercest in recent times.

The military said it had managed to trace all but 13 of 50 soldiers with whom it had lost radio contact on Monday.

Media reports, quoting locals, indicated many civilian casualties and the destruction of civilian property in the fighting. Without directly confirming non-combatant deaths, the military said if militants were using local population as a human shield and using their houses, it could not be blamed for “collateral damage”.

Most of the fighting is taking place near Mir Ali, 20 km from Miram Shah, the main town in North Waziristan. According to reports, there is an exodus of civilians from the area.

The army has rejected a move by the militants through a jirga of tribal elders for a ceasefire and pledged to continue the operation until peace is restored in the area.

President Pervez Musharraf, who won a new term in office last Saturday, has said restoring peace in the tribal regions bordering Afghanistan and rooting out militancy and extremism are Pakistan’s main challenges in the months ahead.

Meanwhile, Chief Justice Ifthikar Chaudhary on Tuesday added one more judge to the 10-member bench that will hear petitions against Gen. Musharraf’s candidacy. Although it is widely expected that the court will not rule against him, he cannot assume office until it decides the petitions.

The Chief Justice also appointed a seven-judge bench to be headed by him to hear a petition against the deportation of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif a few hours after he arrived in Pakistan on September 10. This case too will be heard on October 17.

Reports in the Pakistani media said Mr. Sharif would be allowed to return to London from Saudi Arabia, where he was re-exiled, after the Eid festival next week. His son told Geo TV that Mr. Sharif would return to Pakistan before November 30.

In a related development, preparations are underway for the October 18 arrival of the other former Prime Minister and leader of the Pakistan People’s Party, Benazir Bhutto, corruption cases against whom were withdrawn last week in return for her party’s tacit support to Gen. Musharraf in his election. A spokesman for the Interior Ministry said the government would provide her full security.

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