PAKISTAN: SEVEN PEOPLE KILLED IN NORTH WAZIRISTAN
Miran Shah, 4 April (AKI/DAWN) - Seven civilians were killed and eight people, including five Pakistani soldiers, injured in a renewed wave of violence in different parts of the tribal area of North Waziristan, along the Afghan-Pakistan border. Officials said a vehicle heading from Datakhel to Miran Shah, the regional capital, hit a remote-controlled bomb planted on a dirt track near Golla Khan Kotki, west of Miran Shah. The bomb blew up the pick-up truck, killing five people, including a woman and a child. Three passengers were also injured in the explosion which occurred at 9:30am on Monday.
The injured were brought to the agency headquarters hospital in Miran Shah.
In a separate incident at Mirali bazaar, an unidentified person hurled a hand-grenade on an army patrol, wounding five soldiers.
Eyewitnesses said security forces immediately retaliated and shot dead two people. The dead could not be identified.
Earlier, security forces and tribesmen exchanged fire in the troubled town of Mirali after a local resident refused to hand over his assault rifle to the troops.
A witness said the soldiers had ordered the resident who was passing by to surrender his weapon, but he refused and tried to escape. The troops opened fire on the man, but he managed to escape. Following the firing, shopkeepers closed their shops and and streets became deserted.
The authorities imposed a night-time curfew in Mirali on March 30 and placed a complete ban on the display of arms and ammunition in the town.
In another act of sabotage, a truck coming from Afghanistan’s Khost province hit an explosive device near Ghulam Khan checkpoint in North Waziristan on Monday morning. This explosion did not cause any casualties, but the truck was partially damaged.
The Pakistani army has been trying to flush out foreign militants and their local supporters in this tribal area. Officials say that more than 150 people were killed in clashes between the security forces and militants in North Waziristan last month.
The injured were brought to the agency headquarters hospital in Miran Shah.
In a separate incident at Mirali bazaar, an unidentified person hurled a hand-grenade on an army patrol, wounding five soldiers.
Eyewitnesses said security forces immediately retaliated and shot dead two people. The dead could not be identified.
Earlier, security forces and tribesmen exchanged fire in the troubled town of Mirali after a local resident refused to hand over his assault rifle to the troops.
A witness said the soldiers had ordered the resident who was passing by to surrender his weapon, but he refused and tried to escape. The troops opened fire on the man, but he managed to escape. Following the firing, shopkeepers closed their shops and and streets became deserted.
The authorities imposed a night-time curfew in Mirali on March 30 and placed a complete ban on the display of arms and ammunition in the town.
In another act of sabotage, a truck coming from Afghanistan’s Khost province hit an explosive device near Ghulam Khan checkpoint in North Waziristan on Monday morning. This explosion did not cause any casualties, but the truck was partially damaged.
The Pakistani army has been trying to flush out foreign militants and their local supporters in this tribal area. Officials say that more than 150 people were killed in clashes between the security forces and militants in North Waziristan last month.
posted by Marko at 4/04/2006 08:16:00 AM
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