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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Pakistan attacks Shakai |
| 2004-08-05 |
| Two Pakistani villagers were killed as security forces exchanged fire with al Qaeda linked militants in the tribal belt bordering Afghanistan, doctors and residents said on Thursday. Pakistani artillery pounded mountains overnight near Shakai, located around 30 miles northwest of South Waziristan's main town of Wana, residents said. "There was heavy artillery fire all night," a resident said. The military appeared to be targeting militants hiding in mountains, he said. Wounded villagers brought to a state-run hospital in Wana said two people had been killed during the fighting, doctors and residents said. The militants are mostly armed with rocket launchers and light weapons. Usually they carry out hit-and-run attacks on military posts, prompting fierce responses from the army. The government has fined tribesmen and forced their businesses and shops to close in efforts to make them hand over foreigners, including Arabs, Chechens, and Uzbeks living in their midst. The government says around 600 foreigners were hiding in the area. Tribal sympathizers call them holy warriors and guests. In a separate incident, militants attacked a military convoy in Khamrung region of neighboring North Waziristan, killing a soldier and wounding two others including an army colonel. The attack occurred on Wednesday evening, a security official said on the condition of anonymity. The area is located around 45 miles south of Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan. Foreign militants and their local supporters have intensified their attacks on security forces in response to the army crackdown on their hide-outs. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |