A man walked over the rubble of a house hit in fighting yesterday between militants and Pakistani forces in the Swat Valley. (Chand Khan/ AFP/ Getty Images)
"Pakistan suspends operations against militants; Halts fighting for Ramadan" by Augustine Anthony, Reuters | August 31, 2008
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan yesterday announced a suspension of military operations against Islamist militants for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, after a 24-hour assault in which it said nearly 40 militants were killed.
The military used jet fighters and helicopter gunships to attack militant positions in the Matta area Friday, with the assault continuing into yesterday. The military is also battling militants in the Bajaur area on the Afghan border, across mountains to the west of Swat, and in the South Waziristan region.
In a separate strike yesterday, a missile hit a house in Wana, the main town in South Waziristan, killing five people, said a resident who saw the bodies taken out of the rubble. The house was owned by a man believed to have militant links, residents said. A security official said two of the dead were foreigners.
It was not immediately clear who fired the missile, but US-operated pilotless drones have attacked in Pakistani border regions several times this year, killing dozens of militants.--more--"
