I'm really tired of the garbage propaganda posing as news, readers.
Really tired of it!
"Pakistan forces reclaim key tunnel; 24 militants die in offensive in northwest" by Zulfiqar Ali and John M. Glionna, Los Angeles Times | January 28, 2008
PESHAWAR, Pakistan - Security forces used attack helicopters yesterday to retake a strategic tunnel captured a day earlier by fighters in troubled northwest Pakistan, the government reported.
At least 24 militants were killed during the offensive to regain control of the Kohat Tunnel. "Many have fled, leaving behind arms and ammunition," stated the government release.
The fighting outside the dusty outpost town of Dara Adam Khel occurred amid an escalation of brazen militant attacks in recent weeks, signaling that emboldened insurgents are moving out of the tribal belt to target settled areas.
Yesterday's battle took place 20 miles south of Peshawar, on the busy Indus Highway that links the North-West Frontier Province capital with the tribal region along the border with Afghanistan. Islamic fighters already had blown up a bridge near the tunnel, choking off all traffic, witnesses said.
Hundreds of residents braved harsh winter conditions to seek shelter in Peshawar. Many said the response of President Pervez Musharraf's government to the insurgent attacks was too late in coming.
"People are angry," said Mahmood Shah, a former government security chief for the tribal region. "They say Musharraf has gone soft on the Islamic fighters because they keep him in power. They're ready to take up arms themselves to drive the militants out."
The clash erupted Friday when militants reportedly seized four truckloads of ammunition en route to government forces in South Waziristan, a tribal sanctuary of Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud.
Officials blame Mehsud for the Dec. 27 assassination of opposition leader and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, although the investigation into her death is ongoing. He has since become a main target for government forces.
Saturday, government troops used tribal elders as intermediaries to demand, unsuccessfully, that rebels return the stolen trucks or face continued assault.
Analysts say the renewed rebel attacks are part of a strategy to spread out security forces and keep pressure off Mehsud.
"The militants have become extremely active," said Talat Masood, a prominent political analyst and retired general. "Different groups have begun to synergize their activity, hitting several places at once to dilute army resources."
The Taliban, a strict Islamic movement driven from power in neighboring Afghanistan by a US-led invasion in 2001, has found sanctuary in Pakistan's rugged tribal regions. Supported by religious militants in Pakistan, they have clashed with Pakistani troops. The violence in the North-West Frontier Province intensified last July after government troops stormed a militant worship hall known as the Red Mosque in the national capital, Islamabad. Since then, hundreds have been killed in suicide and bomb attacks.
Masood said insurgents have sensed opportunity in recent weeks amid bomb attacks nationwide, just as the government prepares for elections set for next month. Musharraf is on an eight-day trip to Europe.
"They see the government losing control, trying to be more involved in suppressing the bombers," Masood said. "They're not paying as much attention to them. And so they attack."
Militants surfaced in Dara Adam Khel a year ago and started a campaign of bombing girls schools, barber shops, music centers, and security personnel."
