Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
Navigation
Primary Navigation
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular
Secondary Navigation
Australia
China
India
Indonesia
Japan
Malaysia
Philippines
Thailand
Vietnam
Search
Search:
Militants in Pakistan bomb 5 schools, kill soldier
By RIAZ KHAN,Associated Press Writer AP - 18 minutes ago
PESHAWAR, Pakistan - Militant attacks killed a Pakistani soldier near the crucial supply route to U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan on Monday, while suspected Taliban militants bombed five schools in a nearby valley in their growing campaign against girls' education.
Al-Qaida and Taliban fighters hold tremendous sway in Pakistan's tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, but both attacks illustrated how the threat from militants is growing beyond the frontier region.
The attack by suspected insurgents that killed one soldier and wounded 14 near the famed Khyber Pass caused yet another temporary closing of the supply route to Afghanistan, adding urgency to efforts to secure alternative supply lines as about 30,000 more U.S. troops head to Afghanistan this year.
Afghan-based U.S. and NATO forces get up to 75 percent of their supplies via routes from Pakistan. The trucks that carry the fuel, food and other goods face constant threats of violence, while growing militant activity has led to attacks on terminals in the nearby city of Peshawar.
Pakistan has dispatched paramilitary escorts for supply convoys and cracked down on militants in Khyber, but attacks persist.
In the latest attack, suspected militants fired eight rockets at a Pakistani military camp in the Landikotal area early Monday, killing one soldier and wounding 14, said Fazal Mahmood, a senior government official in Khyber tribal region.
A daylong curfew was imposed while security forces hunted down militants in neighboring Khugi Khel area. Ten were eventually arrested, Mahmood said, and the curfew was lifted. The Khyber Pass was reopened in the early afternoon, Mahmood said.
U.S. and NATO officials insist the militant activity so far has had a minimal impact on their operations. Still, NATO acknowledges other routes, possibly through Central Asia, are under consideration.
Elsewhere in the northwest, suspected Taliban militants bombed five schools as their campaign against girls' education continued.
Militants _ who have blown up or burned down more than 170 schools so far _ had ordered all girls' schools in the area closed by Jan. 15.
The attacks are a throwback to conditions in Afghanistan under Taliban rule, when education for girls was banned and most women forced to stay home.
The early morning attacks in the scenic Swat valley came hours after government spokeswoman Sherry Rehman vowed to reopen all schools in the area by the end of the school holidays in March.
It wasn't immediately clear if the attacks were a direct response to those remarks, although militants appear to be targeting schools indiscriminately to prevent them from reopening, said Dilawar Khan Bangash, the police chief in the troubled valley.
Monday's attacks destroyed three schools for boys and two for girls, Bangash said.
An association representing 400 private schools for boys and girls in the valley said last week that all of its schools would remain closed after the winter break because of the threat from militants.
In an address to Pakistan's lower house of parliament, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said his government was working on a political solution to the crisis in Swat.
"I believe that force is not a solution to every problem. Military action is not a solution to everything," Gilani said.
Gilani said he would seek to involve political parties and lawmakers in a resolution, but gave no details or a timetable.
___
Associated Press reporters Zarar Khan and Asif Shahzad contributed to this report from Islamabad.
Email Story
IM Story
Printable View
Blog This
Recommend this article
Average (0 votes)
Sign in to recommend this article »
Most Recommended Stories »
Related Articles: Asia Pacific
Militants in Pakistan bomb 5 schools, kill soldierAP - 18 minutes ago
Karzai: Russia in defense deal with AfghanistanAP - 32 minutes ago
Police: 14 Indonesians die from home-brew alcoholAP - 38 minutes ago
213 China families take milk case to highest courtAP - 43 minutes ago
China reports 2nd bird flu death this yearAP - 43 minutes ago
Most Popular – Asia Pacific
Viewed
'Overwhelming emotion' at star-studded inaugural concert
Zimbabwe unveils $100 trillion banknote
'Dogs don't wear condoms,' says Baywatch star Anderson
Faulty gene condemns millions in India to heart disease: study
Hamas announces one-week truce after Israel ceasefire
View Complete List »
Search:
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular