Taliban leader vows revenge on US

By HABIBULLAH KHAN

Khar (Pakistan), May 15: A top Taliban leader vowed on Thursday to target the US in revenge for an alleged missile strike that killed several people in a Pakistani tribal region, a threat that bodes ill for the new government’s efforts to negotiate peace deals with militants.

Destroyed in Wednesday’s blast was a compound in Damadola village, a militant stronghold in the Bajur tribal region near the border with Afghanistan. A similar attack in 2006 reportedly missed Al Qaeda’s No. 2 leader, Ayman al-Zawahri.

The Pakistani government used the lack of clear information to fend off questions about whether the incident would harm the peace process or its relations with the United States.

Residents said they saw a US aircraft flying in the area before two explosions rocked the village. The US, which has not confirmed the incident, is believed to operate unmanned drones out of Afghanistan.

After attending a funeral for seven men said to have been killed, Faqir Mohammed, a cleric and deputy leader of Pakistan’s Taliban movement, vowed revenge.

"This is jihad for us, and we fully know the price we have to pay for fighting aggressors," said Mohammed, who is accused of links to Al Zawahri and other Al Qaeda operatives. "America martyred our people, and the blood of our brothers will not go to waste," he said.

"God willing, we will avenge it by targeting America."

The alleged missile strike could embarrass Pakistan’s new government, which is trying to pursue peace deals with militants. The negotiations have stirred alarm in the US, which long backed President Pervez Musharraf’s more forceful tactics. Western officials worry that such deals may simply give militants time to regroup and plan attacks in Afghanistan and the West. (AP)