 Some low-level Al Qaeda members were identified as having been among the 12 militants killed by an artillery and helicopter attack on two compounds near the Afghan border, officials said on Wednesday, raising the toll of 10 from Tuesday's strike.
"This one's an al-Qaeda."
"How can you tell?"
"See that? It's the secret al-Qaeda turban knot. That's the way they recognize each other!"
"Brilliant, Inspector!"
"The Soddy passport helped, too." |
Fresh violence broke out on Wednesday in Balochistan, where suspected tribesmen fired at a paramilitary patrol, triggering a gunfight in which one assailant was killed, police said.
"Captain Mahmoud! They're shootin' at us!"
"Well, shoot back!"
"But... They're fellow Muslims!"
"We're fellow Muslims, too, and they're shooting at us!"
"Well, I guess it's okay, then..." |
On Tuesday, helicopter gunships and artillery pounded two hideouts in Daygan, a village about 15 kilometeres west of Miranshah, military officials said. Militants in the area fought to keep ground forces from approaching, but about 12 people were killed in the air attack. Chechens and Arabs were among the militants killed, he said, adding that there were no casualties among government forces. Army spokesman Major Gen Waheed Arshad confirmed the number of militant deaths as 12.
In Derak Saraab, suspected tribesmen attacked paramilitaries traveling in a pickup truck, police officer Imran Mahmood said. One fellow Muslim attacker was killed in the ensuing gunbattle, he said. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. Authorities blame the violence on ethnic-Baloch tribesmen who want the central government to increase royalty payments for resources in their areas. |
