ISLAMABAD, 18 July 2004 — Three people were killed and four wounded in a shootout between troops and Al-Qaeda-linked militants in Pakistan’s tribal west near the Afghan border, officials and residents said yesterday.
The shootout began late on Friday after militants attacked a paramilitary fort with rockets and mortars in Khaisor, a village about 25 km (16 miles) northeast of Wana, the main town in the South Waziristan tribal region.
Military spokesman Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan said security forces returned the fire but would not confirm any casualties.
Residents said three civilians were killed and four were wounded in the cross-fire.
Intelligence officials said the casualties were caused by the militants’ fire.
On Tuesday, two children died of wounds suffered in an attack by the militants in Shakai in the same region.
Rugged South Waziristan, some 400 km (250 miles) southwest of the capital, Islamabad, has been the scene of fierce clashes between Pakistani troops and Al-Qaeda-linked militants.
More than 200 people were killed in two major operations by Pakistani forces in March and June to flush out foreign militants.
Pakistan has sent tens of thousands of troops to its vast tribal belt bordering Afghanistan to hunt down militants after it joined the US-led war on terror in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage on Thursday praised Islambad’s vigor in the battle against Al-Qaeda but urged a tougher approach against Taleban militants mounting attacks in Afghanistan from Pakistani soil.
Pakistan says it is doing all it can and seeks greater assistance such as helicopters and communications and surveillance equipment and sharing of intelligence by the United States in its hunt for the militants.
Slain Bank Robbers Were Militants, Say Pakistan Police
Four suspected bank robbers killed in a shootout with police in central Pakistan earlier this month were members of an outlawed militant group, police said yesterday.
The suspects were killed on June 8 while fleeing after robbing a bank in Dera Ghazi Khan, a city 480 km (300 miles) southwest of capital Islamabad.
A senior police official identified two of the suspects as Ziaullah and Shamsher and said the identities of the remaining two were being established. “All four men belonged to Jaish-e-Mohammed,” he told Reuters.
Jaish-e-Mohammed is a major militant group fighting Indian rule in the disputed Kashmir region.
The group was banned by Pakistan after India blamed it for the December 2001 attack on its Parliament which brought the two nuclear-armed rivals to the brink of war in 2002.
