Tribal mediators fatally shot in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Suspected Islamic militants shot and killed eight tribal leaders involved in efforts to broker a cease-fire between security forces and insurgents in northwest Pakistan, the military said Monday.

The tribal leaders were killed in separate attacks late Sunday and early Monday in South Waziristan, a mountainous region close to Afghanistan where Al Qaeda and Taliban militants are known to operate, the military and a security official said.

The suspected insurgents killed three of the men in a market in Wana, the main town in the region, while the other five were killed in attacks on their homes, the security official said. The men had been scheduled to meet Monday in Wana to discuss the negotiations, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to media.

Pakistani security forces have fought intense battles with militants in South Waziristan. Although the government has encouraged moderate tribal elders to broker a cease-fire in the region, there has been little sign of success.

Also Monday, a suicide attacker driving a pickup truck detonated a bomb near a security post, wounding three soldiers and two civilians, the military said.

The attacker died in the blast, which happened in Kabal in the Swat region, a former tourist destination where security forces have been battling loyalists of a pro-Taliban cleric. Swat is about 280 kilometers, or 175 miles, north of South Waziristan.

On Sunday, Pakistan reiterated that it would not let American forces hunt Al Qaeda and Taliban militants on its soil, after a report in The New York Times said that the Bush administration was considering expanding U.S. military and intelligence operations into tribal regions in Pakistan.

The 53 places to go in 2008

Also in Travel:

• Ten must-visit European hotels
• Globespotters Video: Hidden delights from across the globe
• Tyler Brûlé's top 50 travel list for 2008

Search

Subscriptions
Sign Up  |  Manage