Attacks kill scores in turbulent Pakistan
Güncelleme Tarihi:
AP
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Haziran 15, 2009 00:00
DERA ISMAIL KHAN - A suspected U.S. missile strike killed at least five people yesterday in a tribal region where Pakistan's top Taliban commander is based, intelligence officials said, breaking a lull in such attacks and posing a test for growing anti-Taliban sentiment in the country.
The strike came as violence raged elsewhere in the volatile northwest region bordering Afghanistan: a bombing at a market killed at least eight people, while officials said clashes between the Taliban and security forces killed at least 20 militants in a tribal region supposedly cleared of insurgents months ago.
Local media have reported that the Taliban claimed responsibility for several recent attacks in Pakistan, including one that killed a moderate cleric, calling them revenge for the army's offensive in the northwestern Swat Valley.
The attacks seem to have bolstered growing anti-Taliban sentiment in Pakistan, something the U.S. hopes will translate into support for sustained military action against extremists who use Pakistani soil to plot attacks on Western troops in Afghanistan. But U.S. missile strikes could undermine that sentiment because they are deeply unpopular among Pakistanis. The market bombing yesterday occurred in Dera Ismail Khan. Government official Inayat Ullah said 11 to 13 pounds of explosives were planted in a fruit vendor's hand-pulled cart. Police official Mohammad Iqbal put the death toll at eight, with 20 wounded.
Local media have reported that the Taliban claimed responsibility for several recent attacks in Pakistan, including one that killed a moderate cleric, calling them revenge for the army's offensive in the northwestern Swat Valley.
The attacks seem to have bolstered growing anti-Taliban sentiment in Pakistan, something the U.S. hopes will translate into support for sustained military action against extremists who use Pakistani soil to plot attacks on Western troops in Afghanistan. But U.S. missile strikes could undermine that sentiment because they are deeply unpopular among Pakistanis. The market bombing yesterday occurred in Dera Ismail Khan. Government official Inayat Ullah said 11 to 13 pounds of explosives were planted in a fruit vendor's hand-pulled cart. Police official Mohammad Iqbal put the death toll at eight, with 20 wounded.