Pakistan soldiers killed by militants
Sunday, 15 Jul 2007 11:43
Pakistan soldiers killed by militants
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At least ten Pakistani soldiers have been killed by militants in the north-west of the country, increasing fears of reprisals following the week-long Red Mosque siege in Islamabad.
A further 40 troops were injured in the attack on a convoy of police and paramilitary troops in the north-west frontier province, near the town of Matta.
Military spokesman major-general Arshad Waheed told the Reuters news agency that the convoy had been struck by two roadside bombs and two suicide bombers.
Three civilians were also killed in the attack, which took place in an area known to be a pro-Taleban stronghold, and an intelligent official warned that the death toll could yet rise.
"It appeared to be an ambush," he said. "There were three blasts of improvised explosive devices, followed by an exchange of fire."
Meanwhile it is reported that militants in Miranshah, the capital of north Waziristan, have said that peace accords signed with Pakistan's government were over.
The ambush is the second such attack in as many days, after a suicide bomber killed 24 Pakistani paramilitary soldiers and wounded nearly 30 people on the Afghan border.
Military officials believe that the attacks are linked to last weeks' Red Mosque siege, when 75 people were killed, and thousands of new troops have now been sent to the north-west, where many of the militants in the Red Mosque complex were thought to have come from.
The controversial mosque has been at the centre of an extremist campaign attempting to impose strict Islamic law in Islamabad.
A six-month campaign to impose Taliban-style rule had led to tension between the mosque's followers and the authorities prior to the stand-off.