Nine Pak Taliban killed in clashes

Islamabad, May 11: Nine tribesmen from Pakistan’s restive South Waziristan were among 13 Taliban militants killed in a clash with Nato-led forces in Afghanistan.

The bodies of the Pakistani Taliban militants were brought back to Wana, the main town of South Waziristan, for burial on Sunday, local Taliban sources told journalists.

The dead Taliban belonged to the Wazir tribe and were members of a group led by Pakistani Taliban Mullah Nazir, who operates in the South Waziristan tribal region. Among the dead were Maulana Muhammad Iqbal, deputy chief of Mullah Nazir’s group, and Khan Mohammed Wazir, another key Taliban commander.

Three of the dead Taliban were aged between 15 and 20 years, local tribesmen said. The bodies were repatriated to Wana from Afghanistan’s eastern Paktika province early Sunday, the Taliban sources said.

The skirmish in Paktika left 13 Taliban militants and eight Nato and Afghan troops, including a colonel, dead. Witnesses said the bodies of the Pakistani Taliban were badly burnt, making it difficult to identify them.

Sources said Maulana Iqbal had led a group of around 30 militants to Afghanistan late last month to join the Taliban there. The Pakistani Taliban launched an attack on coalition forces in Paktika and were killed in air raids by coalition fighter planes.

Besides the nine men from South Waziristan, two militants from Punjab province and one from Hyderabad in Sindh province were also killed. (PTI)

***

3 suicide bombers arrested in Pakistan

Islamabad, May 11: An alert was sounded on Sunday in the Pakistani garrison city of Rawalpindi following the arrest of three would-be suicide bombers by security forces.

The three men Khalid Saifullah, Asad Hussain and Asif were arrested near Ayub Park in Rawalpindi late Saturday night after police received a tip-off from an anonymous caller, TV channels reported.

Police seized two suicide jackets, explosives and bomb-making equipment from the terrorists, who are currently being interrogated. Maps of sensitive installations were also found in their possession, the police said.

A joint investigation team has been set up to conduct a thorough probe, officials said.

Rawalpindi is home to the General Headquarters of the Pakistan Army and several other key military and intelligence installations.

The city, located near the Pakistani capital, witnessed several devastating suicide attacks over the past few months, including one that killed the general who headed the Army’s medical service. (PTI)