Pakistan airstrikes kill 60 militants, hostage escapes: officials

THE STANS

British soldier's death in Afghanistan blamed on lack of resources
A coroner blamed the death of a British soldier in an Afghan minefield on a lack of resources Friday, saying those responsible "should hang their heads in shame." Corporal Mark Wright died when a mine exploded as a Chinook helicopter tried to rescue him and fellow troops, and was posthumously awarded a George Cross medal, the highest military honour for acts not directly involving the enemy. Following a two week inquest at Oxford Coroner's Court, coroner Andrew Walker said three key factors led to the 27-year-old's death: the lack of British helicopters in Afghanistan fitted with a winch; the downdraft from the Chinook into the minefield and delays in sending a suitable helicopter. "That a brave soldier is lost in battle is always a matter of deep sadness but when that life is lost where it need not have been because of a lack of equipment and assets, those responsible should hang their heads in shame," Walker said in his verdict. "This tragedy has its roots in the expectation that a small force of dedicated professional soldiers would be expected to extend the scope and number of their operations without the necessary support." The inquest was told that the Chinook had initially been sent to rescue troops from the Parachute Regiment's 3rd Battalion who had been injured by explosions in a minefield. They had requested that a helicopter with a winch be sent to extract a sniper whose leg had been blown off, but were told that none were available. A Chinook without a winch was then dispatched, but later waved off for fear that it would cause further explosions as it tried to land. As it pulled away, however, a mine exploded, with Wright, who was trying to help his fellow soldiers at the time, suffering severe shrapnel wounds from which he later died. Six others were hurt in the incident in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province in September 2006, and were only rescued when two American Blackhawk helicopters, fitted with winches, were eventually sent to save them, three-and-a-half hours after reports of the first explosion.

by Staff Writers
Islamabad (AFP) Oct 18, 2008
Airstrikes by Pakistani jets killed 60 pro-Taliban fighters in the restive northwest while a Chinese engineer seized seven weeks ago escaped from his kidnappers, security officials said Friday.

"Security forces destroyed a training camp and hideouts of militants in Peochar in Swat valley, killing 60 of them and injuring scores of others," a senior security official told AFP.

Another security official said fighter jets bombed a big training camp and cave hideouts of Taliban militants deep in the mountains, inflicting heavy casualties.

He said sources from the area confirmed that 60 militants were killed in the air strikes and the number could climb once bodies were retrieved from the caves.

Earlier Friday the military said a Chinese engineer had escaped his Taliban kidnappers and found his way to an army post.

The Taliban said one of two Chinese hostages they were holding had gone missing, while the other had been severely injured in the escape bid.

The men went missing along with their local driver and a security guard on August 29 in northwest Pakistan near the Afghan border where they had been checking an installation.

Pakistan has been under severe pressure from the Chinese government over the hostages, with Beijing publicly requesting that Islamabad rescue them.

"One Chinese engineer has been recovered," army spokesman Colonel Nadeem Ahmed said, without giving further details.

Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan told AFP the second hostage was injured before he was re-captured.

"Last night an incident happened after which one Chinese engineer was hurt and the other went missing," Khan said.

A separate Taliban source said the hostages were being moved from one location to another when they tried to escape.

He said the re-captured man had severely injured his leg falling down a steep mountain slope.

"They were near the town of Matta in the Swat valley when they made a run for it," he said.

Army officials who declined to be named said the man who escaped had come into contact with local anti-Taliban tribesmen who guided him to a nearby army post.

Security forces in mountainous Swat, a former tourist region dubbed the "Switzerland of Pakistan," have been battling pro-Taliban militants who tried to enforce harsh Islamic Sharia law a year ago.

The Taliban have demanded the government release 122 fighters captured in the area during the ongoing military operation.

In the latest militant attack, a suicide bomber rammed a vehicle packed with explosives into a Swat valley police station on Thursday, killing four people and destroying the building.

Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari completed a four-day state visit to China on Friday, though it was unclear if the fate of the hostages was discussed.

The local driver and security man were released soon after they were kidnapped.

Islamic militants have been known in the past to target Chinese workers in Pakistan. China is one of Islamabad's closest allies as well as its largest arms supplier.

In 2004, Islamic militants led by a former Guantanamo Bay prisoner, Abdullah Mehsud, kidnapped two Chinese engineers working on a multi-million dollar hydroelectric dam project in the South Waziristan tribal area.

One of the hostages died in a botched rescue bid.

Elsewhere Friday, Pakistani helicopter gunships and fighter jets pounded militant hideouts in a Pakistani tribal region bordering Afghanistan, killing 10 rebels, an official said.

The bombardment took place in Bajaur where Pakistani troops and Islamic extremists have been locked in fierce fighting since August.

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THE STANS

Suspected US strike inside Pakistan kills five: officials

Peshawar, Pakistan (AFP) Oct 16, 2008
A suspected US drone fired two missiles on Thursday into a Pakistani tribal area that is a known Al-Qaeda and Taliban hub, killing at least five people, security officials said.

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