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Pakistan battles in Taliban chief's hometown
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-10-22 08:49
 PARACHINAR, Pakistan: Pakistani soldiers fighting inside the hometown of the Pakistani Taliban leader gained ground yesterday as they pressed ahead with a major offensive on a militant sanctuary close to the Afghan border, intelligence officials said. The military called on the NATO troops in Afghanistan to seal the border "to prevent cross-border movement and flow of weapons". Pakistani newspapers have in recent days reported that NATO forces had abandoned border posts opposite South Waziristan, raising the possibility of Afghan Taliban coming to help their Pakistani comrades, or of Pakistani Taliban fleeing. The military's advances came as intelligence officials said suspected US missiles killed three alleged militants in a neighboring region where the army has tried to convince other insurgent factions to stay neutral during the military assault in South Waziristan. The five-day-old offensive is considered a critical test of the country's often-criticized campaign against Islamist extremists blamed for soaring attacks at home and on Western forces in neighboring Afghanistan. Troops had secured parts of Kotkai town and destroyed the home of Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud by late yesterday, but battles were ongoing. Schools closed On Tuesday, twin suicide bombings killed six people at Islamabad's International Islamic University in apparent retaliation for the offensive. All educational institutions in the country were closed yesterday, showing the militants' ability to disrupt daily life, and the closure was expected to continue for a week. The order to close schools unnerved investors in Pakistan's main stock market which was 2.36 percent lower at 9,342.91 in early trading. The military is advancing on three fronts in South Waziristan. The fight for Kotkai is symbolically important because Hakimullah Mehsud and a top deputy, Qari Hussain, hail from there. It also lies on the way to another militant stronghold of Sararogha. AP-Reuters (China Daily 10/22/2009 page11) |
