Pakistan strikes before 'peace' conference
Wednesday, 08 Aug 2007 11:25
Tribesmen will meet in Kabul to discuss the Taliban problem
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Pakistani forces killed at least 12 Taliban militants in a province bordering Afghanistan, military officials have claimed.
Helicopter gunships and artillery were used in the attack, which took place after the army received intelligence that "miscreants" were in the area. Foreign nationals, including Chechens and Arabs, are believed to be among the dead.
The military action follows the redeployment of forces to the area after the Red Mosque siege, in which 100 people died last month, ended a ten-month-old ceasefire agreement with pro-Taliban militants.
Today's attack comes as a tribal peace conference gets underway to discuss terrorism in Kabul.
Representatives from both Pakistan and Afghanistan will be participating in the jirga, which will be addressed by both Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf and his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai.
Mr Karzai expressed his hope that the conference would provide "solutions" to the region's terrorism problems at a joint press conference with US president George Bush at Camp David on Monday.
But the tribal elders most likely to make a difference – those in North Waziristan, which the US says is providing a 'safe haven' for the Taliban – will not be participating.