24 militants, six civilians killed in Pakistan unrest

THE STANS

Pakistani security officials examine the wreckage of a vehicle after a bomb blast on the outskirts of Charsadda, about 30 km (18 miles) northeast of troubled North West Frontier Province capital Peshawar, on August 17, 2009. Photo courtesy of AFP.Two US soldiers, US civilian killed in Afghanistan
Two US troops and a US civilian died in gun and bomb attacks in Afghanistan, adding to a rising death toll for forces helping to secure the country ahead of this week's elections, the military said Monday. One of the soldiers and the civilian were killed in the east of the country on Sunday, the same day three British soldiers were killed in an explosion in the volatile south. "An international security force member died after he encountered small arms fire from insurgents while on patrol in eastern Afghanistan on August 16," the NATO-led force said in a statement. The soldier was from the United States, it said. A separate statement said a US civilian working with the military had also died in what the force said was the same incident. The International Security Assistance Force said later that another US soldier was killed on Monday by a homemade bomb, also called an improvised explosive device, in the volatile south. Nearly 40 international troops have lost their lives in Afghanistan this month, according to the independent website icasualties.org, which tracks tolls from the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. July was the deadliest month for the international forces since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, which removed the extremist Taliban regime from power for sheltering Al-Qaeda. Afghanistan goes to the polls on Thursday under threat from the Taliban, who on Sunday warned they would attack Afghan voting stations. There are around 100,000 international soldiers in Afghanistan, nearly two-thirds from the United States, which in recent months deployed thousands of men into some of the toughest insurgent strongholds in the south. The aim is to secure Taliban areas to allow all Afghans to vote in the presidential and provincial council elections. Officials have said that insecurity could prevent voting in around seven to nine districts.

by Staff Writers
Peshawar, Pakistan (AFP) Aug 17, 2009
Up to 24 militants were reported killed Monday in air strikes and clashes in Pakistan's northwest, where six civilians were also killed by a car bomb at a petrol station, officials said.

Two children were among the dead in the blast in northwest Charsadda town, police said, which came after a lull in the past month of bombings blamed on Taliban militants avenging a punishing offensive against them.

Pakistan's military claims to have cleared northwest Swat district of Taliban fighters after launching a push in late April to dislodge extremists bent of imposing a harsh brand of Islamic law in the verdant valley.

Sporadic outbreaks of fighting continue, but the government has urged the 1.9 million civilians uprooted by the conflict to return home.

Overnight in Swat's main town Mingora, a suicide bomber blew himself up wounding four soldiers as they tried to arrest him, a military official said.

In Kabal village about 20 kilometres (12 miles) northwest of Mingora, seven suspected Taliban militants were killed during a gunfight with soldiers late Sunday, the senior official told AFP, asking not to be named.

Islamabad's attention has now turned to the wild and lawless tribal belt along the Afghan border, the heartland of Pakistan's umbrella organisation Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has alleged links to Al-Qaeda.

On Saturday, air strikes by Pakistani fighter jets killed 16 militants, wounded 30 others, and destroyed several Taliban hideouts in South Waziristan.

Security officials had been unable to confirm the deaths until Monday, as the strikes hit a far-flung area largely outside the government's control.

"Pakistani warplanes pounded the Makeen area of South Waziristan, killing 16 militants and injuring 30," an intelligence official based in the main regional town Wana told AFP by telephone.

Another security official confirmed the toll, and said that several militant hideouts were also destroyed, while locals alleged that civilians had been hurt when the bombs struck a market area, clinic and hotel.

"Six local residents -- mostly young -- were injured when the bazaar was hit," Makeen resident Noor Jihan told AFP by telephone.

In an apparent blow for the militants, TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud was this month reported killed in a US drone missile strike in South Waziristan, although both countries have stopped short of confirming his death.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Sunday said that the militant group was "in disarray" and plagued by infighting after the reported death of Mehsud -- claims previously denied by the Taliban, who say the warlord is still alive.

Late Sunday, reports emerged that at least 17 militants were shot dead in South Waziristan as warlords apparently vied for supremacy.

The fighters loyal to Maulvi Nazir, leader of a Taliban faction, were ambushed near the Mehsud stronghold of Salayrogha village, although a spokesman for the militant group refused to speculate who was behind the attack.

Nazir had joined hands with the TTP four months ago after repeated missile strikes by US drones in the area.

In an editorial in Pakistan's The News, retired general and analyst Talat Masood wrote that Mehsud's demise was a setback for the militants, but warned that Al-Qaeda must not be allowed to fill the power vacuum.

"Baitullah's departure no doubt has been highly demoralising for his followers and has led to a power struggle," he wrote.

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THE STANS

Gates cites caveats to possible US buildup in Afghanistan
Washington (AFP) Aug 14, 2009
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has left open the possibility of sending more forces to Afghanistan but warned of stretched military resources. With about 132,000 troops in Iraq, Gates said there were constraints as to how many extra troops could be sent to Afghanistan at least until after Iraq's elections in January. "I would say also that the availability of forces is still a ... read more

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