Three FC men killed in Miranshah blast

Three FC men killed in Miranshah blast
Four civilians shot dead after coming close to military convoy

By our correspondents

PESHAWAR/MIRANSHAH: Three Frontier Corps personnel were killed in a roadside blast in Miranshah on Monday as violence continued unabated in North Waziristan while four passengers of a car that came dangerously close to a military convoy lost their lives after coming under attack from a gunship helicopter in the adjoining Frontier Region Bannu.
Military convoys also came under attack in Dossali, Dattakhel and at the strategic Esha checkpoint on the Miranshah-Mir Ali road. There were no confirmed reports about the number of casualties in these attacks.
Eyewitnesses said the FC personnel were attacked on the College road, also known as Machis road due to the presence of a closed matchbox factory. According to an ISPR the FC personnel were fetching water when an improvised explosive device (IED) was detonated through a remote-controlled device.
Three FC soldiers were killed by the powerful explosion heard all over Miranshah and created scare among residents of the town. Tribal sources in Bakkakhel area of Frontier Region Bannu said four civilians riding the so-called “Ghwagay” state car were killed when they failed to stay away from a military convoy driving on the narrow road to Miranshah and were fired on from a gunship helicopter. The helicopter was flying overhead to give protection to the Pakistan army convoy. The incident happened at around noon. The identity of the four men could not be ascertained.
Meanwhile, another military convoy coming from Razmak to Miranshah was targeted by an IED explosion triggered through a remote-controlled device near the Thall bridge, situated 15 kilometres south of Miranshah.
Military sources said one soldier sustained injuries in the blast. However, sources in the area said four soldiers were wounded by the explosion. Troops took into custody seven men riding a vehicle near the scene of the attack.
Four other Pakistan army soldiers were injured when suspected militants fired two missiles at the army camp in Miranshah in the wee hours on Monday. The night-time missile attack was aimed at military installations, including the runway of the airbase and nearby army camp. Government officials said one of the missiles landed on the runway while the second hit an army bunker and caused injuries to four soldiers.
Meanwhile, a militants’ spokesman claimed that their fighters attacked the Esha checkpoint on the Miranshah-Mir Ali road with missiles at night. Abdul Hye Ghazi, speaking from an unknown location in North Waziristan, told The News that the missile attack caused human and material losses at the checkpoint. However, his claim could not be confirmed either by official or independent sources.
Militants’ spokesman also claimed responsibility for an attack on a military convoy near Dossali. He said the roadside bomb blast was triggered by a remote-controlled device and one military lorry with two soldiers was blown up.
He claimed another blast took place, again through remote control, when about 10 troops gathered at the site of the first explosion. He estimated that a number of troops were killed or injured in the two explosions.
He alleged that gunship helicopters that were flown to Dossali to rescue troops bombed the area, killing one man and injuring two others, including a woman. The political administration and the military didn’t comment on the incident.
The spokesman for the militants also claimed that another army convoy was ambushed in the Dattakhel area. He said militants had taken up positions in the mountainous terrain and were able to inflict damage on the troops by ambushing the convoy. However, he expressed ignorance about the losses suffered by the troops in the attack.
Agencies add: Chief military spokesman Maj-Gen Wahid Arshad said security forces have set up four new checkpoints in Miranshah’s main bazaar to prevent attacks and stop thefts and looting. “The bazaar is being declared a weapon-free area because of the frequent crimes,” Arshad said.
Meanwhile, Pro-Taliban militants, who seized a shrine and named it after Lal Masjid, said on Monday they would retaliate with suicide bombings if troops tried to flush them out. Around 150 armed masked men late Saturday took control of Turangzai Sahib mosque in a village in Mohmand agency. A group of journalists, who visited the Lakaro village, saw some 50 masked men wearing camouflage jackets and armed with rocket launchers and assault rifles occupying the mosque’s ground floor.
More militants were holed up on the first floor of the building. “We are ready to sacrifice our lives for the mission of Abdur Rashid Ghazi”, a militant leader, who identified himself as Umar Khalid, told reporters.
Khalid claimed he had the support of some 3,000 tribesmen from Mohmand agency. “Local tribesmen are financing our programme to implement Shariah in the region,” he said, adding that he and his men were ready to wage Jihad against the United States and its allies.
Asked what he would do if Pakistani troops launched an operation to take back the mosque, he said: “Our people will resist, they will consider every option, including suicide bombings.” Our Ghailani correspondent adds: A jirga of Halimzai tribe of Mohmand Agency held here on Monday asked the administration to refrain from any action against local Taliban occupying the Haji Sahib Turangzai mosque. The Jirga demanded convening a grand Jirga of tribesmen to seek an amicable solution to the issue.