Pakistani raids kill eight militants near Afghan border (Roundup)

Jun 28, 2009, 9:46 GMT

Islamabad - At least eight Islamist insurgents were killed Sunday when Pakistani aircraft strafed Taliban hideouts in the South Waziristan tribal district after overnight militant attacks on military camps left two soldiers dead, officials said.

Security forces have been carrying out aerial raids and artillery bombardments in the remote region on the Afghan border for the last three weeks to soften up targets before launching an all-out offensive there against Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud.

A string of deadly suicide attacks by Mehsud's men in recent months compelled the government to announce a decisive onslaught against the warlord, who is known for playing host to al-Qaeda fighters in his stronghold of South Waziristan.

Jet fighters pounded militant positions in the district's Kani Karam, Laddah and Makeen areas, early on Sunday and destroyed six Taliban hideouts.

'At least eight militants were killed and a dozen more were wounded,' an intelligence official said on condition of anonymity.

Three people, including a woman, also died when their house was struck in Makeen.

The airstrikes came hours after Islamist insurgents mounted a rocket attack on two military camps near Wana, the main town of South Waziristan. Two paramilitary soldiers were killed and three others wounded, the official said.

However, the military confirmed only one casualty.

Fighting intensified in the remote tribal region as the authorities announced that the military was close to wrapping up its onslaught against the Taliban in the north-western Swat valley and its nearby districts, and will then be focusing on Mehsud's network.

More than 1,600 Taliban militants have been reported killed in the Swat operation since late April. But the death toll could not be verified independently because of restrictions on media from both the military and the Taliban.

Islamabad's unrelenting campaign against the militants has wide support at home, besides drawing appreciation from the Western countries, including the United States which heavily relies on the Pakistani counterinsurgency drive to win its war in Afghanistan.

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told reports in the eastern city of Lahore on Sunday that 'it's not a time for dialogue but for decisive action,' rejecting calls from some religious groups for negotiating with the rebel forces.

His remarks came as the government put out advertisements in newspapers, announcing a 50-million-rupee (around 615,000-dollar) reward for information leading to the capture or death of Mehsud.

The feared commander, who heads an umbrella organization of over a dozen Taliban groups, is blamed for ordering a string of suicide bombings, including a gun-and-bomb attack that killed former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

The US has already announced a five-million-dollar bounty on the head of Mehsud, describing him as 'a key al-Qaeda facilitator.'

Taliban's retreat from the Swat region to adjoining tribal belt has fuelled sectarian clashes in at least one of the seven lawless districts.

At least 33 people were killed and 65 more were wounded as fighting raged Friday and continued through Saturday in Kurram, which adjoins the al-Qaeda and Taliban hotbed of North Waziristan region, the English-language Dawn newspaper reported on Sunday.

The clashes broke between Sunni and Shiites Muslims last week and had left around 89 people dead and 175 injured.

Shiite tribesmen, who are in majority in Kurram, are calling for raising local militias, or Lashkars, to block the entry of mostly Sunni militants. They have been challenging the Taliban movement for the last two years.

'We have had over 700 young people martyred but have not allowed these militants to secure a toehold in Upper Kurram,' tribal leader Haji Rauf was quoted by Dawn as saying. 'Now the influx of Taliban from Swat, Dir and other areas is worsening the situation.'

Rauf said the government should launch a similar military operation in Kurram, adding that the tribesmen would 'fight alongside our soldiers.'

Separately, three Shiite Muslims were killed in an ongoing wave of targeted sectarian killings in the north-western town of Dera Ismail Khan near South Waziristan.

Among the dead were two brothers, who were shot dead in their shop by gunmen riding a motorbike, said Malik Ramzan, a spokesman for the local police chief. The third victim was stabbed to death.