Pakistan militant house destroyed
June 30, 2008
An explosion has destroyed the house of a militant leader in the Khyber region of north-west Pakistan, killing at least seven people, officials say.
It is not clear whether explosives stored in the building detonated or if it was hit by missiles.
Security forces began a drive against militants in the area at the weekend.
Separately, Islamabad and Rawalpindi were shaken by loud bangs, but these are thought to have been an aircraft breaking the sound barrier - not bombs.
Officials said all “sensitive installations” were safe and there had been no bomb at any military installation in Rawalpindi, where the army is headquartered.
“It could have been a sonic boom but we are still investigating,” a senior police official told Reuters news agency.
‘Hit by missiles’
Officials in Khyber told the BBC the house of Haji Namdar, leader of one of the three militant groups active in the area, was blown up at about 0330 local time (2230 GMT).
A major military offensive against Khyber militants began on Saturday
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“Some witnesses say the house was hit by missiles, but it is also possible that explosives stored in the house blew up,” a local official said.
Security forces launched a major operation against militants near the main north-western city of Peshawar on Saturday.
Militants have become more active in and around Peshawar in recent months, say correspondents.
Troops have also recovered eight bodies from another district in the same region, officials said.
They said the men had apparently been killed by militants, in Kurram tribal district to the south of Khyber.
“All of them had bullet wounds in the head and chest, but none of them was beheaded,” an official from Kurram, Ataur Rahman, told the BBC.
The BBC’s M Ilyas Khan says this would be the first instance of Taleban justice in Kurram, where frequent sectarian attacks have claimed scores of lives during the last eight months.
“These killings are not related to sectarian violence,” Mr Rehman said.
‘No resistance’
The operation by paramilitary troops has destroyed offices and houses of militant leaders in the eastern parts of Khyber district, officials say.
Our correspondent says security forces have not faced any resistance from the militants, who are reported to have moved to the remote western mountains near the border with Afghanistan.
The local Taleban have responded by suspending peace talks with the government.
“Talks cannot continue when the government continues to violate its promises and commitments,” Maulvi Omar, spokesman for a network of pro-Taleban groups, said on Sunday.
Pakistan’s new government launched negotiations with the militants in the spring, in an attempt to end a wave of attacks and suicide bombings.
Source: BBC News (Internet)
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