US to hit militant safe havens in Pakistan

[moha199]

US-led forces alleged involved in Pakistan attack
By ISHTIAQ MAHSUD – 22 minutes ago

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (AP) — At least 15 people, including women and children, were killed in an attack involving U.S.-led forces in a remote Pakistani village near the border with Afghanistan, intelligence officials and a witness said Wednesday.

The U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan said it had no report of such an incursion, said to have happened in the militant-infested South Waziristan tribal region. Pakistan's army confirmed an attack but did not specify if it believed foreign troops were involved.

The U.S. and Pakistan, allies in the war on terror, have had tensions over cross-border attacks, including suspected American missile strikes in Pakistani territory. In one high-profile incident earlier this year, Pakistan said 11 of its soldiers died when U.S. aircraft bombed their border post.

Habib Khan Wazir, an area resident, said the latest incident happened before dawn, shortly after an American helicopter landed in the village of Musa Nikow in South Waziristan.

He said as the owner of a home nearby came outside with his wife, the "American and Afghan soldiers starting firing."

Khan said later the troops entered the house and killed seven other people, including women and children. He said the troops also killed six other residents.

Two local intelligence officials confirmed the account on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media. One official said 19 people died.

The U.S. embassy in Islamabad declined to comment.

Maj. Murad Khan, a spokesman for Pakistan's army, said it could confirm an attack on a house near the Pakistan-Afghan border.

"We are collecting details," Khan said, without specifying if Americans were involved.

American officials say Pakistan's tribal regions along the Afghan border have turned into havens for al-Qaida and Taliban-linked militants involved in attacks on U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan. South Waziristan is the base for Pakistan's top Taliban leader, Baitullah Mehsud.

The U.S. has pushed Pakistan to crack down on the militancy inside its territory, and there have been debates in Washington over how far the U.S. can go in carrying out its own strikes.

U.S. rules of engagement allow ground forces to go a few miles into Pakistan when in "hot pursuit" and when forces were targeted or fired on by the enemy. U.S. rules also allow aircraft to go several miles into Pakistan air space.
Musharraff never let american troop come into pakistani land by foot and SHOOT Pakistani civilians. Get your ppp and pml and kiss their ***. Dumb stupid people who don't know who is a traitor or who is not. Why nawaz zardari media is quite on it. Why they were talking **** about musharraf? Answer is he didnt let this happend and he was not gonna let it happend no matter what, Americans wanted him out so they pay these sucm bag zardari,nawaz and media and keep them quit.

 

[moha199]

Pakistan Officials, witness: US-led forces kill 15
By ISHTIAQ MAHSUD – 32 minutes ago

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (AP) — Intelligence officials and a witness say at least 15 people died in an attack involving U.S.-led forces in northwest Pakistan.

The U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan said it had no immediate report of an incursion.

Witness Habib Khan Wazir said the incident happened after an American helicopter landed outside a home in the village of Musa Nikow in South Waziristan before dawn Wednesday.

He said the troops came out and fired on people outside and inside the house.

Two local intelligence officials confirmed the account on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media. One official said 19 died.

Pakistan's army said it was looking into the report. The U.S. embassy declined comment.

Have fun with democracy and make a charge sheet against Zardari and Nawaz! no f...kinh way, why would you guys. They are your fathers

 

[moha199]

'Eleven killed' in Pakistan raid

Tension in Pakistan's north-west has increased in recent days
Officials and witnesses in north-west Pakistan say that at least 11 people have been killed in an attack involving US-led forces in Afghanistan.

The attack involved helicopters and took place in the tribal area of South Waziristan, close to the Afghan border.

The US-led coalition in Afghanistan told the Associated Press that it had no report of any such incident.

Security has deteriorated sharply in recent weeks along the Pakistani border with Afghanistan.

There is mounting US pressure on the Pakistani government to crack down on militants, who use the border region to launch cross-border raids into Afghanistan.

The Afghan government and Nato say that the border region is a haven for al-Qaeda and Taleban militants. Pakistan denies it could do more to curb militancy.

A witness Habib Khan Wazir told the Associated Press news that Wednesday's incident happened when a US helicopter landed outside a home in a village in South Waziristan.

He said troops alighted from the helicopters and fired on people outside and inside their homes.

Another witness, Gul Nawaz, told the Reuters news agency that troops came in helicopters and "carried out action in three houses around 0300 (2100 GMT)".

The dead included women and children, reports say.

On Monday, Pakistan's military suspended its operations against Taleban militants in the neighbouring Bajaur tribal area.

The government said this suspension of fighting was in honour of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

Taleban spokesman Maulvi Omar welcomed the announcement, but he said militants would not lay down their arms.

 

[muse]

Not to worry, yesterdays crooks, todays "democrcats" will find a way to blame Pervaiz Musharraf for this as well. Kiyani of course cannot be blamed, after all, he seeks to keep armed forces away from the job of saving Pakistan from these crooks, sorry democrats - all hail "democratic government"

I'm no supporter of terrorist organizations and idiot tribals, on the other hand it does not mean that one has to support invasion forces

 

[Skywalker]

Zardari is a sold basturd, who only cares about money, if you offer him good money he can even sell his sister and mother. What ever is happening in Pakistan is beacue of you 60% ILLITERATE JAHILS. Go and have fun.

 

[dr.umer]

This is certainly a bad development. Pakistan is fully capable of and can handle insurgents in its territory. Pakistan Army has suffered some losses in this war. Pakistani Nation has suffered losses by the hands of brutal Taliban in shape of sucide attacks and still US keeps on asking for more. It is not just by any means. US is portraying a picture that as if all the insurgents in Afghanistan have shifted to Tribal Areas and there are no more left in Afghanistan.

This move, if it truely happened, should not be ignored by Pakistan Defence Forces. As it not only concerns Pakistan, but also would have worried China, our long term friend. Pakistan's response should address all concerns that have multi dimentional effect on strategic & geo-political enviroment of this whole region.

 

[MHCN]

As well as an Ameican Soldiers, we are also going to have an American President (BACKED) in Pakistan, Zardari.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

The arguments against these types of incursions by the US/NATO remain the same - often they kill innocent Tribesmen, even if they do get some of the 'bad guys'. They inflame sentiment against the US, and therefore increase support for the Taliban fighting the US occupation.

All of this in turn makes it a lot harder for the GoP to continue fighting against the Taliban, and especially against those Taliban groups that are focused on fighting against 'occupation' in Afghanistan, rather than challenging the GoP at home, like the TTP.

 

[muse]

Agnostic

What will it take for you to internalize that the "friend" is actually a foe ?

I understand what internalizing such a thing will mean - fight or flee -- Pakistan's destiny and it's choice are multiple defining moments -- Deciding friend or foe is one of them, after 8 years hoping to avoid the choice first put to it, it finds it is right where it started from.

Do you imagie that the "friend" does not know that it's actions make it not just difficult but extremely difficult to operate against the enemy? or is it that the "friend" has now learned that Pakistan cannot be it's friend and only squeezing it such that it faces internal dismemberment, it's politicians assasination, is the only way to secure results that suit only the "friend" and it's new friends. Somalia here we come.

Let us not forget the 11 Pakistani officers and soldiers murdered earlier by the "friend".

Now after having stabbed our brother ally in the back, Pakistan have once again come to a crossroads with it's "friend". We are not victims, we went in to this with eyes wide open, so no blaming the "friend" for being true to it's character, no blaming ourselves for being true to ours.

.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Muse,

I don't look at the US as a 'friend' at this point - more of an inconvenient ally with whom we share some interests. Where I support her is where US pressure is possibly leading to a more proactive approach towards fighting some extremist groups. The war against extremism in Pakistan, even if originally championed by the US, is one that is strongly in Pakistan's interests and on that count I do not fault the US.

I do fault them in their overall strategy for the region, which is where they have shown themselves to be no friends of Pakistan, caught up in their waltz with India, and on that count I do not trust their intent.

 

[muse]

Agnostic

May I offer on the internal religious terror problem - this is a manifestation of political imbalance in Pakistan -- Ever since 1971, actually from before, but 71 no more Bengalis to blame.

The new stuff, this is fed by the idiot constitution and insistance on a federal model that is a disaster, wherein Pakistan is more and more 4 different countries.

Sorry for the tangent.

 

[dr.umer]

Pakistan condemns foreign troops for killing 20​

Guardian UK
3 Sep 2008

An incursion by foreign troops from Afghanistan into Pakistan that killed at least 20 people, including women and children, has been condemned by the foreign ministry in Islamabad as a "gross violation" of Pakistani territory.

Security officials in the region have said the incursion into the tribal area of South Waziristan was carried out by US commandos dropped from helicopters.

The North West Frontier Province governor, Owais Ahmed Ghani, who is in administrative charge of the tribal areas, said in a statement: "It is outrageous ... This is a direct assault on the sovereignty of Pakistan and the people of Pakistan expect that the armed forces ... would rise to defend the sovereignty of the country and give a befitting reply."

A spokeswoman for Afghanistan's Nato-led force said she had no information about the incident.

A spokesman for a separate US-led coalition force declined to comment, referring questions to the US Central Command.

The pre-dawn raid took place in a village across the border from a US base at Shikin in Afghanistan's Paktika province.

"Troops came in helicopters and carried out action in three houses," a village shopkeeper, Gul Nawaz, told Reuters.

Witnesses told the BBC Urdu service that troops entered the house of a local tribesman, opened fire and threw a bomb in the house.

They said at least nine bodies had been recovered from the debris. The witnesses said the family was not known for links with militants.

The US says al-Qaida and Taliban militants are based in sanctuaries in north-west Pakistan's ethnic Pashtun tribal areas on the Afghan border, where they orchestrate attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan and plot violence in the west.

Since the emergence of a civilian-led government following elections in Pakistan in February, there has been concern that US military operations are becoming more aggressive in the tribal lands bordering Afghanistan.

The number of missile attacks launched by pilotless drone aircraft has increased, and there have been fears that US forces would use helicopter gunships or put troops on the ground for "hot pursuit" or commando raids to destroy al-Qaida bases.

US-operated drone aircraft have launched attacks in Pakistani border regions several times this year, killing dozens of militants, but US ground troops had not been known to cross into Pakistan to fight militants.

Pakistan insists it can deal with the militants and today a military spokesman said 30 had been killed and 35 wounded during a search operation in the Swat Valley, north-west of the capital, Islamabad.

 

[dr.umer]

US ambassador summoned over Angoor Adda incident​

3 Sep 2008

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday lodged strong protest over the incident of Angoor Adda which claimed 20 innocent lives.

After the incident, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry summoned the United States ambassador Anne W. Patterson and vehemently condemned the attack of Coalition forces on a village near Angoor Adda inside Pakistan and termed it a gross violation of Pakistan’s territory.

Foreign Secretary, Salman Bashir held a half-hour long meeting with the US ambassador during which he strongly denounced the action of allied forces on Pakistan soil.

It was made clear to the ambassador that this kind of action could affect the cooperation being extended by Pakistan to the US.

The US ambassador said she would convey Pakistan’s reaction to the US government.

 

[dr.umer]

Agnostic

May I offer on the internal religious terror problem - this is a manifestation of political imbalance in Pakistan -- Ever since 1971, actually from before, but 71 no more Bengalis to blame.

As far as i can see there is no internal religious terror problem. This more like a People of Pakistan VS foreign funded Taliban. Leave political imbalance at one side for now. Do you see people of Pakistan fighting with each other and creating internal religious terror problem as you call it? If not, then who is creating the problem at the first place? Do you think people of Pakistan want Talibnization of this country? Certainly not. People are concerned that this war is not good for the country but people want that GOP should firmly handle this problem either by Force or by Talks, though later has never served the purpose. Because they don't want to see more people dead in suicide attacks.

The new stuff, this is fed by the idiot constitution and insistance on a federal model that is a disaster, wherein Pakistan is more and more 4 different countries.

Why constitution is idiot and the people not following it are not idiots? And for your kind information Pakistan is not 4 different countries. You need to differentiate between cultures, communities & country.

In a country there can be different cultures. But does that mean those cultures or traditions are countries within a country? Certainly not.

 

[dr.umer]

Reuters - Pakistan raid based on bad intelligence: official​

3 Sep 2008

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Suspected U.S. commandos blamed for killing 20 people in Pakistan were acting on faulty intelligence that was never shared with Pakistani forces inside the country, a Pakistani official said on Wednesday.

Nadeem Kiani, spokesman for the Pakistani Embassy in Washington, told Reuters that all those killed in the pre-dawn raid near Pakistan's border with Afghanistan in South Waziristan were unarmed civilians and not militants.

"The intelligence was not correct," Kiani said in an interview.

"This is Pakistan's territory. Being an ally, any action taken on this side of the border should have been taken by Pakistani forces. There was a need to share that information with the Pakistani side.

"We do have the capacity to share intelligence, and if there is any intelligence, our forces are in a position to take action immediately," he said.

Pentagon officials declined to comment on the incident.

(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Bill Trott)