Hundreds Flee Northwestern Pakistan Unrest

NVMojo

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Sun Mar-05-06 01:58 PM
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Hundreds Flee Northwestern Pakistan Unrest

Hundreds of Pakistanis lugging bags and bundles of clothes fled a northwestern town Sunday after pro-Taliban tribesmen and foreign militants battled security forces in clashes near the Afghan border that left at least 53 people dead.

The fighting, which started Saturday and largely died down early Sunday, was the worst in two years in the lawless North Waziristan region, where well-armed, fiercely independent tribes have long resisted government control.

Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan said sporadic gunfire broke out Sunday afternoon in Miran Shah, the main hotspot of the unrest. But the fighters retreated from government buildings they had occupied, and soldiers controlled the town again, he said.

Sultan said foreigners involved in the fighting had come from neighboring Afghanistan and would be "confronted and eliminated."

The fighting came as President Bush made a 24-hour visit Saturday to the capital of Islamabad, about 190 miles northeast of North Waziristan, and declared his solidarity with Pakistan in the war on terror.

more...

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/w-asia/2006/mar/05/030501401.html

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skooooo

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Sun Mar-05-06 02:45 PM
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1. oh dear...

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izzie

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Sun Mar-05-06 03:40 PM
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2. This seems just nuts. Why at this time?

I know I am no Rowe but to have our army killing people in that country while our President is in town just seems like one crazy thing to do. There must be some reason behind it.:crazy:

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NYC

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Sun Mar-05-06 03:56 PM
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3. Our army?

I scanned the article. It seemed to be the Pakistani army. What did I miss?

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izzie

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Mon Mar-06-06 08:47 AM
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4. I swear I read we were in on this and my guess is we are

We have been fighting in those hills for a long time and we have those planes that fly around and bomb that are un-man things.

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NYC

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Mon Mar-06-06 11:56 PM
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6. Drones.

The "un-man things" are drones. I actually saw one in Rockefeller Center. It looked so small, so I asked the army guy. It was a real drone.

There was a Kitty Hawk exhibit, where they had converted the planters to the sand dunes of Kitty Hawk. Lots of planes were on exhibit, including a drone.

Well, I guess it wouldn't surprise me if we participated, but as you said, it seems incongruous for us to be killing them while Bush is visiting them.

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Eugene

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Mon Mar-06-06 03:10 PM
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5. AP: Fighting in Pakistan Leaves 100 Dead

Fighting in Pakistan Leaves 100 Dead

Monday March 6, 2006 7:46 PM

AP Photo MRN101

By BASHIRULLAH KHAN

Associated Press Writer

MIR ALI, Pakistan (AP) - Authorities imposed a curfew in this tribal region's main town Monday
as thousands of people fled a third day of clashes between Pakistani security forces and
al-Qaida and Taliban supporters. An official said at least 100 militants may have been killed.

<snip>

More than 100 militants might have died, based on intelligence reports and questioning of injured
and arrested fighters, army spokesman Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan said. Security forces had yet
to regain control of all compounds in Miran Shah, so he could not give an exact toll. Journalists
were barred from the town.

The fighting in Pakistan's lawless tribal regions along the Afghan border is the bloodiest
in more than two years and marks an escalation in President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's campaign
to crack down on al-Qaida and Taliban militants and their local sympathizers.

<snip>

The trigger of the unrest was a Pakistani army strike against a suspected al-Qaida camp
in the border village of Saidgi last week that authorities said killed 45 people, including
foreign militants. It was launched two days before a visit by President Bush, fueling speculation
Pakistan was flexing its military muscle in the border regions to signal its commitment to the
U.S.-led war on terrorism.

<snip>

Full article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-5666831,00.html

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