Suicide bomber breaches base security
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- A suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a mess hall inside a high-security base used by a Pakistani counterterrorism force, killing at least 15 soldiers, officials said.
The militants' ability to penetrate the elite force's headquarters about 60 miles south of the capital was a severe blow to the army. It came hours after visiting U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte met in Islamabad with President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, a key ally in Washington's war on terrorism.
The army reported, meanwhile, that it had killed as many as 50 militants in a battle in the South Waziristan tribal region near the Afghan border.
The victims of the suicide attack belonged to the Karar commando group, which has participated in operations against Islamic militants in various parts of the country, according to two security officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of their jobs.
They said the bomber struck while dozens of soldiers were eating.
Maj. Gen. Waheed Arshad, the army spokesman, said 15 soldiers were killed and 11 wounded, some seriously, but he would not confirm what caused the blast at Ghazi Tarbela, in Pakistan's volatile northwest.
"It will be only clear when the initial investigations would be completed," he told Pakistan's Geo TV network.
Pakistan is under growing U.S. pressure to crack down on Taliban and al-Qaida in its border regions. The Karar group took part in a July raid against pro-Taliban militants in Islamabad's Red Mosque that left more than 100 dead, Geo reported.
Fighting between Islamic militants and security forces has been raging across northwest Pakistan since the Red Mosque assault. Most of the battles have taken place in the rugged mountains along the Afghan border where the U.S. has said al-Qaida is regrouping.
The army says it has deployed 90,000 troops in the border region in an attempt to curtail the insurgency and stop guerrillas from crossing into Afghanistan to attack NATO forces.
But the military scaled back its operations under disputed peace deals signed last year and there is growing alarm that extremists have used the breathing space to exert control over ever-greater areas of the North West Frontier Province.
Still, U.S. officials including Negroponte have said they welcome signs that Musharraf, who is seeking a new five-year term as president, is taking a tougher line against militants.
A statement issued by Musharraf's office Thursday after Negroponte met the president said the U.S. had committed $750 million for the development of Pakistan's tribal regions over five years.
Pakistan reported Wednesday that it had killed about 40 militants in the North Waziristan region. Army forces repelled repeated militant attacks in Thursday's fighting near Razmak, a town in South Waziristan, Arshad said. Army helicopters and ground fire destroyed four rebel positions, he said.
Arshad said their initial estimate was that at least 30 militants were killed in the fighting, but added later that tribesmen told officials that up to 50 rebels had died. He said two soldiers were killed and eight were wounded.
Militants are holding hostage some 260 soldiers seized in South Waziristan on Aug. 30 and are waging a morality campaign reminiscent of Afghanistan's former Taliban regime. Extremists are pressuring shopkeepers not to sell music or movies, and barbers not to trim beards, or else face punishment for encouraging un-Islamic behavior.
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Associated Press writers Zarar Khan in Islamabad, Bashirullah Khan in Miran Shah and Ishtiaq Mahsud in Dera Ismail Khan contributed to this report.