Pakistan: 52 militants killed as ’copters pound hideouts in Khyber

BARA/LANDIKOTAL, Pakistan, (The News): Retaliating to a suicide attack in Jamrud targeting an Afghanistan-bound convoy taking supplies for the Nato forces, security forces used gunship helicopters to pound militants’ hideouts in Khyber and Orakzai agencies on Friday, killing 52 people. 

Khyber Agency’s Political Agent Tariq Hayat Khan claimed that 52 militants were killed in bombing on Chapri Ferozkhel in Khyber and Serai border areas in the adjoining Orakzai Agency. However, no evidence was provided about the deaths of such a large number of militants. 

On their part, the Taliban militants refuted the claim and conceded the death of only one of their men, Shakir, belonging to the Shalobar Afridi sub-tribe. Taliban commander Nazeer Afridi also denied the government claim. He told The News that the figure of the militants’ death was exaggerated.

However, Tariq Hayat insisted that besides killing 52 militants, a huge ammunition cache and about eight vehicles were also destroyed during the air attack by the Army helicopters. He said the vehicle used in the Jamrud Tedi Bazaar suicide attack was prepared by the militants in Sapari area and the authorities had the information that besides an important commander, a number of militants were hiding there. 

Another security official also said that the Frontier Corps troops targeted five hideouts of the militants in Chapri Ferozekhel area of the Khyber Agency, killing 52 of them besides destroying their vehicles. The casualty figure, however, could not be verified from independent sources. 

There were reports that an activist of the Bara-based militant organisation, Lashkar-e-Islam, was killed and its two hideouts were destroyed in the gunship helicopter strikes. The LI volunteers were coming from Tirah Valley when they were targeted by the gunship helicopters, killing one of them, Shakir, of Shalobar, and damaging their two vehicles in the Mumanray area. 

Earlier, a suicide bomber blew up his explosives-packed Toyota Surf near a checkpoint in Tedi Bazaar of the Khyber Agency, injuring six people, including two students and a member of the security forces. 

The suicide attacker blew up his vehicle near a checkpoint of the Khassadar force on the Pak-Afghan Highway through which supplies for the Nato forces in Afghanistan pass.The suicide bomber exploded his Toyota Surf when he was signalled by security forces personnel to stop. The explosion was so intense that doors and windowpanes of the nearby shops and houses were smashed by its impact while a scared driver coming from the opposite side lost control of his trailer that plunged into a seasonal stream along the road. 

Limbs of the suicide bomber were found scattered in an area of 200 metres. The injured, all residents of Jamrud, were identified as Ghulam Hayat, Taj Muhammad, Shakeel, Ahmed Raghib, Fahim Ullah and Zohaib. 

They were rushed to the Hayatabad Medical Complex in Peshawar, where their condition was stated to be stable. Assistant Political Agent, Jamrud, Fida Muhammad Bangash, told newsmen that there were reports that a suicide bomber was assigned to target the members of the Army Engineers Corps working on the bridge blown up by the local Taliban a couple of days ago in the Ali Masjid area. 

The APA said parts of the body of the suicide bomber had been sent for the DNA test and investigations into the incident were underway. A convoy carrying supplies for the Nato and the US forces in Afghanistan and passenger coaches remained stuck for hours on the road due to the suicide attack and hundreds of passengers, including women and children, suffered. 

(http://thenews.jang.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=20142)

It is horrible what is going on around the world. May Allah bless all the people who die from things like this and especially Gaza.