Pakistani army helicopters pounded mountains near the Afghan border yesterday after nearly 50 people were killed in clashes with pro-Taliban militants, a resident of the area said.
The fighting -- some of the worst in the remote North Waziristan region in years -- started on Saturday and ended early yesterday in the area, where well-armed, fiercely independent tribes have long resisted government control.
"Fighting continued throughout the night with both sides using heavy weapons," a resident of Miranshah said yesterday.
The overnight exchanges of fire eased off in the morning but helicopter gunships later fired rockets into mountains to the east of Miranshah, sending plumes of smoke and dust into the sky.
After the tribesmen and soldiers retreated to their strongholds and bases, the streets and bazaars were empty in the town of Miranshah -- the main hotspot of the unrest. Security forces had fortified themselves inside a heavily guarded base, and troops fired into the air if anyone came within 300m of the base.
Hundreds of villagers -- men, women and children -- were seen fleeing Miranshah on foot yesterday, carrying suitcases and bundles of clothes. Vehicles weren't allowed in or out of the town, so they had to walk 15km to a security checkpoint, where they could find transport.
The fighting took place about 300km southwest of Islamabad, where US President George W. Bush made a 24-hour visit and declared his solidarity with Pakistan in the war on terror. He left the country late on Saturday in much the same way he arrived -- after dark, and with the running lights off and window shades pulled down to conceal Air Force One's distinctive markings.
There were conflicting reports about casualties.
Major General Shaukat Sultan, an army spokesman, said on Saturday that 25 militants were killed in Miranshah and 21 in the nearby town of Mir Ali. He said three soldiers were killed and about 10 were injured.
Intercepts of radio communications between militants on Saturday in Miranshah and nearby Mir Ali suggested 80 or more fighters had died, security and intelligence officials said.
Ethnic Pashtuns inhabit Waziristan as well as Afghan areas on the other side of the border and many people support the Taliban, most of whose leaders and rank-and-file are Pashtun.
also see story:
Foreign soldiers killed in accident, Afghan attacks
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
GEOPOLITICAL CONCERNS: Foreign companies such as Nissan, Volkswagen and Konica Minolta have pulled back their operations in China this year Foreign companies pulled more money from China last quarter, a sign that some investors are still pessimistic even as Beijing rolls out stimulus measures aimed at stabilizing growth. China’s direct investment liabilities in its balance of payments dropped US$8.1 billion in the third quarter, data released by the Chinese State Administration of Foreign Exchange showed on Friday. The gauge, which measures foreign direct investment (FDI) in China, was down almost US$13 billion for the first nine months of the year. Foreign investment into China has slumped in the past three years after hitting a record in 2021, a casualty of geopolitical tensions,
RSS