Seven Pakistani soldiers killed in militant ambush

[laststeamtrain]

Source: AFP

Seven Pakistani soldiers killed in militant ambush

by Hasbanullah Khan Hasbanullah Khan – 16 mins ago

MIRANSHAH, Pakistan (AFP) – Seven Pakistani soldiers were killed and 16 wounded when militants armed with guns and rocket launchers ambushed their convoy in the northwest tribal belt, officials said Friday.

Dozens of Islamist insurgents on Thursday attacked the troops in North Waziristan, part of the lawless tribal region bordering Afghanistan and a known sanctuary of the Taliban and other Al-Qaeda-linked militant groups.

In other unrest in the region, 16 militants were killed in army operations in Orakzai tribal district, while the mutilated bodies of four men accused of spying for the United States were found dumped by a road in the area.

Two officers were among the dead in the ambush in Dattakhel, a Taliban stronghold and recent target of US drone missile strikes, about 20 kilometres (10 miles) from North Waziristan's main town Miranshah.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100423/wl_sthasia_afp/pakistanunrestnorthwest

[Robb]

1. For some background on NW, a good piece I spotted yesterday:

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\04\23\story_23-4-2010_pg7_11">On the run, terrorists find new haven in North Waziristan

They have not been routed, no matter what Pakistan claims. Instead, the Taliban and al Qaeda have merely relocated.

Months after troops chased them from South Waziristan, these terrorists have established a new base in North Waziristan under the protection of Gul Bahadur who has cut past deals with the Pakistan Army, according to residents, terorrists and reports.

The fighters – including Arabs, Chechens and Uzbeks – roam through markets, frequent restaurants and watch jihadi movies or surf the web at Internet cafes, their weapons propped up against the table. Troops wave at them through checkpoints even though they are armed with assault rifles and rocket launchers.

The influx of these terrorists in North Waziristan in recent months adds to pressure on the army to launch an offensive there, and raises questions over its policy of making agreements with Gul Bahadur and other insurgent commanders.

The military says it is not moving into North Waziristan because it does not have enough troops to do so effectively. That makes North Waziristan an enticing destination for extremists, even with US missiles regularly pounding the region. .....

[bemildred]

2. Pakistan: Military Convoy Ambushed

Pakistani militants ambushed a military convoy in the North Waziristan area Thursday, killing seven soldiers and wounding 16 others in the deadliest attack on the military in months. The convoy was carrying out a “routine movement” in the village of Boya, according to a statement on the Pakistani military’s Web site. The military carried out a campaign in South Waziristan last year, taking territory that once belonged to the leadership of the Pakistani Taliban. Many believe that the leadership fled to North Waziristan, where other tribes, as well as the Qaeda operative Sirajuddin Haqqani, an Afghan, are thought to be hiding.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/24/world/asia/24briefs-Pakistan.html