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Pakistan army says 37 militants killed in Swat
2008-08-23
PESHAWAR, Pakistan - Pakistani troops pounded Islamic militants in the volatile northwest Saturday, killing 37 in retaliation for suicide attacks that have put pressure on the new government to counter a growing extremist threat. The two main parties in the ruling coalition -- who have been preoccupied with internal squabbling since forcing Pervez Musharraf to resign as president -- dabbled in peace talks with the militants soon after taking power five months ago. But after limited success, they have increasingly relied on military force to try to beat back al-Qaida and Taliban-linked insurgents in the remote and rugged tribal regions along the border with Afghanistan. The militants have responded with force in recent days. The Taliban immediately claimed responsibility for one of the country's deadliest-ever terrorist attacks, a twin suicide bombing at a massive government weapons complex that killed 67 people and injured more than 100 on Thursday. On Saturday, a car packed with explosives rammed into a police station in Swat, a former tourist destination, killing six officers and injuring several, said local police official Mohib Ullahn. A roadside bomb in the nearby village of Bari Kot killed one civilian and injured four, said Muslim Khan, a spokesman for the Taliban militants. He told The Associated Press the Taliban had warned the government of more bloody attacks unless the army "stopped operations against us," but that they had so far been ignored. Pakistani troops backed by helicopter gunships engaged in a fierce battle with militants in Swat on Saturday, leaving 37 insurgents and two soldiers dead, said army spokesman Maj. Nasir Ali. No militants in the area were immediately available to confirm the fighting or casualties on their side. Separately, a civilian and her four children were killed when security forces fired a mortar that accidentally hit a home in Khar, near the Afghan border, said Riaz Khan, another government official. Taming Islamic militancy is just one of the challenges facing the new ruling coalition, which has been bogged down in internal disagreements since the ouster of Musharraf earlier this week and is now teetering on the verge of collapse. The two main parties in the coalition are at odds over who should succeed Musharraf as president. The dominant Pakistan People's Party is pushing Asif Ali Zardari, the husband of its assassinated leader Benazir Bhutto, for the post. But its junior partner, led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who was a bitter rival of Bhutto, wants a president from one of Pakistan's two smallest provinces -- Baluchistan or North West Frontier. That would exclude Zardari, who comes from the southern province of Sindh. After meeting with Zardari's aides Saturday however, Sharif said he would consider supporting Bhutto's widower, but only if the PPP followed through with promises to sharply reduce the powers of the new president. With elections by lawmakers now set for Sept. 6, the pressure is on for the two sides to come to some sort of agreement. Zardari criticized Musharraf for his long, authoritarian rule but would likely continue the former general's support for the U.S. war against extremist groups. However, Zardari's ascent would dismay many Pakistanis, who view him as a symbol of the sleaze that tainted the country's last experiment with civilian rule in the 1990s. He won the nickname "Mr. 10 Percent" for alleged corruption during his wife's turns as prime minister. ___ Associated Press writers Munir Ahmad, Asif Shahzadand Stephen Graham in Islamabad and Anwarullah Khan in Bajur contributed to this report.
Pakistan's post-Musharraf ruling coalition splits (2008-08-25)Pakistan's ruling coalition on verge of collapse (2008-08-24)Pakistan army says 37 militants killed in Swat (2008-08-23)Pakistan coalition rift widens as violence rages (2008-08-22)Bhutto widower proposed for Pakistan president (2008-08-22)
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