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30 Militants Killed in Pakistani Assault

Posted on: Saturday, 11 March 2006, 00:00 CST

By MUNIR AHMAD

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistani soldiers backed by helicopter gunships targeted a suspected militant hideout near the Afghan border, killing about 30 militants in a volatile tribal region that has seen repeated clashes in the past week, a military spokesman said Saturday.

The spokesman, Gen. Shaulat Sultan, said the attack was launched late Friday near Miran Shah, the main town in North Waziristan. Sultan would not reveal the identity or nationality of the slain men, but told The Associated Press the attack was launched using "authentic intelligence, and according to our information about 30 miscreants, who included foreigners, were killed."

An intelligence official in the region said the targeted compound belonged to a pro-Taliban cleric, Maulvi Sadiq Noor, although it was not clear whether he was there at the time. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Noor and other pro-Taliban tribesmen have been targeted since earlier this week when their armed men captured government buildings following a military attack on an al-Qaida hideout near Miran Shah. Over 100 suspects and eight soldiers were killed in the fighting.

Days later, authorities imposed a curfew in Miran Shah after regaining control of government buildings from militants, who are believed to have retreated to nearby mountains.

Sultan said the raid late Friday blew up a cache of weapons.

Pakistan is a key ally of the United States and has asked tribal elders to evict foreign militants and their supporters from their areas or prepare for military action.

The recent clashes in North Waziristan were the worst in Pakistan's tribal regions since 2004 when scores of al-Qaida militants, troops and local fighters died during fighting in the neighboring region of South Waziristan.

Officials say members of Afghanistan's toppled Taliban regime and al-Qaida militants continue to hide in Pakistan's lawless tribal regions near the Afghan border.

The recent unrest has compelled thousands of residents to flee to safer areas, but on Friday, some shops reopened and several families began returning home.

Farid Ullah, 34, who had fled to the nearby town of Mir Ali with his wife and five children, told The Associated Press that he had returned to Miran Shah after hearing that fighting had ended.

"We pray for peace, and we ask the government to avoid the use of force and to try to resolve all issues through peaceful means," he said as his family walked to the town.

Sher Nawaz, 38, a tribesman, said he had also returned after living with his relatives in a nearby village for three days.

Pakistan has deployed 80,000 troops and mounted a series of military operations in tribal regions to flush out militants. Pro-Taliban tribesmen insist that most of the people killed in the army raids were innocent civilians, a charge the military denies.

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Associated Press reporters Sailab Mahsud in Dera Ismail Khan and Bashirullah Khan in Miran Shah contributed to this report.

Source: Associated Press/AP Online

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