Suspected US missiles strike north-western Pak

Saturday, October 25, 2008 at 2:10 am

Suspected US missiles struck a Taliban-linked school in north-western Pakistan killing nine people, intelligence officials said, in an apparent bloody sign of American frustration with the country’s anti-terror efforts.

The strike came hours after Parliament warned against any incursions on Pakistani soil in a resolution, that also condemned the wave of violence tearing at the country, while stressing the need for dialogue. According to four intelligence officials, the suspected US missiles hit the religious school on the outskirts of Miran Shah, the main town in the North Waziristan region. The school was not believed to have any students in it at the time of the attack.

Relying on informants and agents in the area, two officials said at least nine people were killed including four, who were pulled lifeless from the rubble hours after the strike, and two others were wounded as well. Pictures from the scene, showed a damaged building and scattered belongings and debris.

Eye witness accounts at the scene confirmed, that there had been a missile strike and stated that eight people had been killed, one less than the official tally. However, the fact was denied that there had been any “foreigners or terrorists” at the school. The religious school belongs to a local pro-Taliban cleric, who has been linked to veteran Taliban Commander Jalaluddin Haqqani, considered a top foe of the United States.

Militants in the north-west are blamed for rising attacks on US and NATO forces in neighbouring Afghanistan, along with surging suicide attacks within Pakistan. The cross-border US missile attacks have angered many Pakistani lawmakers and the populace at large, and the pro-American government has protested them as violations of the country’s sovereignty.

The Parliamentary resolution passed earlier, broadly supported the government’s current approach but was quite vague in entailing out details, apparently a result of political compromise after two weeks of closed-door debate.

The major opposition parties recognise the need for military action against the insurgents, though rarely express it forcefully because they want to maintain support among ordinary Pakistanis, who are deeply suspicious of the war.

The 7-month-old government – which is desperate for lawmakers to support its military offensive – hailed the 14-point document, as a “a historic moment for the country.” The resolution calls for an “independent foreign policy,” a sign of wariness of American influence. But it also claims that, Pakistan will not let its soil be used for terrorist attacks elsewhere – a nod to US complaints, about the militants hiding in north-western Pakistan.

The resolution also alludes to the US missile attacks, stating that Pakistan “stands united against any incursions and invasions of the homeland, and calls upon the government to deal with it effectively.”

The Pakistani Army is engaged in two major offensives in the north-west – one in the Swat Valley and the other in the Bajur tribal area. The US has also praised the crackdowns, while warning that peace deals simply allow the militants to re-group.

( This post is from an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by APakistanNews.Com.)

Suspected US missiles strike north-western Pak

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