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| India-Pakistan |
| Tribal elder killed in ambush: officials |
| 2009-08-24 |
| [Dawn] A tribal elder with links to the Taliban was killed Sunday along with four close relatives in an ambush in Pakistan's northwest militant stronghold, officials said. The deaths of Malik Sarwar Khan and four other men come amid reports of intense feuding in the militant ranks after the apparent death of Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud sparked a heated succession battle. Khan was travelling from his home village of Dazha Ghundi in the Mehsud heartland of South Waziristan near the Afghan border to the main district town Wana when gunmen attacked his vehicle, officials said. 'Armed men stopped the vehicle near Wana bazaar and sprayed it with bullets, killing Sarwar Khan, his son, a brother, nephew and a close relative,' a senior administration official told AFP. The attack could have been spurred by a tribal vendetta or infighting in the Taliban movement over the succession, said the official, who asked not to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media. A security official and residents confirmed the deaths. Khan was an influential tribal elder, and local residents said he had helped extremists in the past, setting up meetings and facilitating the passage of Taliban militants in the lawless tribal belt. |
| Posted by:Fred |