|
25 militants killed as army recaptures Kabal police station
 MINGORA: Security forces attacked mountaintop positions of pro-Taliban militants and recaptured Kabal police station in Swat, killing around 25 militants on Wednesday, army spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told AP. Earlier, three security personnel and six civilians were killed in Kabal tehsil as the local population continued to move to Mingora, Saidu Sharif and Faizabad in the face of a possible full-fledged operation by the army against militants.Military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told Daily Times that three security personnel were killed and five were wounded in a rocket attack at a Frontier Constabulary camp in Kabal Golf Grounds on Wednesday morning. Locals said four civilians were killed when a mortar hit the house of Sardarul Mulk in Kabal tehsil. The slain included Mulks brother, wife and two daughters. Mulk himself sustained injuries in the incident and was hospitalised. An artillery shell landed in the house of Haji Toray in Kabal, killing his two granddaughters, said local reporter Shahzad. He added that Station House Officer (SHO) Muhammad Ghani and two constables had been injured as armed militants attacked the Kabal Police Station on Wednesday. In retaliation, security forces from the FC camp in Kanjoo and Saidu Sharif airport targeted the attackers positions with artillery and mortar fire, said the reporter. Civilians targeted: Residents of Kala Kalay, where mortar fire killed four civilians, alleged that troops were targeting the civilian population. They said 15 mortar and artillery shells had landed in populated areas since early morning. Another five people were injured as a mortar struck a passenger van headed to Mingora from the Totano Banda area of Swat, witnesses said. The injured were rushed to the Saidu Sharif hospital where one of them was in serious condition. Meanwhile, hundreds of families have arrived in Mingora, Saidu Sharif and Faizabad to escape from the precarious situation elsewhere in Swat district. Residents of the three areas have offered shelter to hundreds of homeless people in their homes, shops and offices, said Shahzad. Residents in Kabal said gunship helicopters also pounded suspected militant hideouts early on Wednesday, AFP reported. Troops have cleared a hub of resistance of militants from a prominent height overlooking a road leading to Alpuri, Shanglas main town, an army statement said. Suicide bomber killed: Maj Gen Waheed Arshad said troops had also shot at a suspected suicide bomber who refused to stop his car on the approach to the valleys Saidu Sharif airport, AP reported. During the firing the car blew up as it contained explosives, Arshad said. Curfew: The Swat district administration announced a 10-hour curfew in Kabal late on Wednesday, a Daily Times staff report adds. The curfew will remain in place from 8pm on Wednesday until 6am today (Thursday), Swat District Coordination Officer (DCO) Arshad Majeed told Daily Times. Although the local administration did not mention the reason behind the curfew, residents believe it had been imposed owing to the troops movement. Posted by: Fred 2007-11-22 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=208654 |