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| Pakistani Airstrikes Target Haven for Qaeda and Taliban Fighters | |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Pakistani fighter jets killed at least 35 people in attacks on militant bases in a remote part of the North Waziristan tribal district, the military said Wednesday, hours after local residents reported that an American drone strike in the same area had killed 20 people. | PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Pakistani fighter jets killed at least 35 people in attacks on militant bases in a remote part of the North Waziristan tribal district, the military said Wednesday, hours after local residents reported that an American drone strike in the same area had killed 20 people. |
| A Pakistani intelligence official said that fighter jets carried out airstrikes in the Shawal Valley, a remote forested area that has become a sanctuary for fighters who are with Al Qaeda and the Taliban, and in several nearby districts. | |
| The strikes targeted fighters who had fled Miram Shah and Mir Ali, the two main towns in North Waziristan that were largely abandoned by civilians and militants shortly after the start of the military offensive on June 15. | The strikes targeted fighters who had fled Miram Shah and Mir Ali, the two main towns in North Waziristan that were largely abandoned by civilians and militants shortly after the start of the military offensive on June 15. |
| “It’s a mixed bag of local and foreign militants,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. | “It’s a mixed bag of local and foreign militants,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. |
| Hours earlier, residents said, an American drone fired four missiles at a compound and a vehicle in Zoi Saidgai, about 30 miles west of Miram Shah and close to the Afghan border. Speaking by phone, residents said that 20 people were killed in the strike: 12 foreigners of Central Asian origin and eight local militants. | |
| The area where the strike occurred is controlled by Hafiz Gul Bahadur, a pro-Taliban militant commander who avoided attack for several years under an agreement with the military, but whose forces have been hit by fighter jets in recent days as Pakistan ground troops move toward Datta Khel, a center of militant activity in North Waziristan. | The area where the strike occurred is controlled by Hafiz Gul Bahadur, a pro-Taliban militant commander who avoided attack for several years under an agreement with the military, but whose forces have been hit by fighter jets in recent days as Pakistan ground troops move toward Datta Khel, a center of militant activity in North Waziristan. |
| A security official confirmed the drone strike, although there was some confusion over the timing of it. | A security official confirmed the drone strike, although there was some confusion over the timing of it. |
| The military says that more than 400 militants and at least 30 soldiers, including two officers, have died in the course of the monthlong military operation. The figures could not be independently verified as there are few, if any, journalists left in North Waziristan. | The military says that more than 400 militants and at least 30 soldiers, including two officers, have died in the course of the monthlong military operation. The figures could not be independently verified as there are few, if any, journalists left in North Waziristan. |
| The military drive to wrest control of North Waziristan is now advancing on two fronts, to the east and west of Miram Shah. The security official in Peshawar said that three soldiers were killed in a firefight with militants in Boya, 10 miles southwest of the town, on Tuesday. Two others died at the start of a ground offensive to seize control of Mir Ali. | The military drive to wrest control of North Waziristan is now advancing on two fronts, to the east and west of Miram Shah. The security official in Peshawar said that three soldiers were killed in a firefight with militants in Boya, 10 miles southwest of the town, on Tuesday. Two others died at the start of a ground offensive to seize control of Mir Ali. |
| The official said that earlier reports of the fighting on Tuesday, which suggested that all five soldiers had died in Mir Ali, were incorrect. | The official said that earlier reports of the fighting on Tuesday, which suggested that all five soldiers had died in Mir Ali, were incorrect. |
| More than 900,000 civilians have fled the fighting, taking refuge in nearby tribal districts or across the border in Afghanistan. | |
| Separately, an Afghan court jailed a Pakistani journalist for four years on charges of making contact with Pakistani Taliban fighters based in Afghanistan, Agence France-Presse reported on Wednesday. | Separately, an Afghan court jailed a Pakistani journalist for four years on charges of making contact with Pakistani Taliban fighters based in Afghanistan, Agence France-Presse reported on Wednesday. |