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Pak President shocked by tribal killings, orders inquiry

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Islamabad, Feb 29, IRNA -- Pakistan`s President General Pervez 
Musharraf Sunday ordered a probe into the killing of eleven persons by
soldiers in the country`s tribal region, bordering Afghanistan. 
"President General Musharraf has directed the concerned 
authorities to conduct an immediate inquiry and ascertain details of 
the sequence of events that led to the death of eleven persons and 
injuries to six others in Wana on Saturday," an official statement 
said. 
The Pakistani Army has said those killed in the shooting were 
firing back at militants who attacked an army camp. But tribesmen said
troops opened fire on two vehicles that failed to stop at a road 
block; local people and Afghans were among the dead. 
"In a massage to the bereaved families, President Musharraf 
expressed his profound grief and sorrow over the incident. He 
announced a compensation of rs. 100,000 for the families of those who 
lost their lives and rs. 50,000 for the injured." 
Authorities in Waziristan have also announced similar amounts for 
the affected families. 
The killings came few days after the Pakistani Army launched a 
fresh offensive against al-Qaeda and Taleban suspects in the area. 
It is the deadliest incident in the area since the Pakistani 
military began operations last October to flush al-Qaeda suspects out 
of the tribal areas. 
According to an army spokesman, armed men driving two or three 
vehicles tried to attack a military camp near the town of Wana in the 
early hours of Saturday. 
The army acknowledges that some civilians might have been killed 
in the cross-fire, but says they might also have been terrorists. 
Officials said 16 people have been arrested for questioning. 
However, local tribal leaders say the shooting was a case of mistaken 
identity. They said those killed were tribesmen and Afghans aboard two
vehicles hit by gun fire after they failed to heed a military road 
block. 
South Waziristan has been suspected a sanctuary for Taleban and 
al-Qaeda fighters who fled Afghanistan after the arrival of American 
forces in 2001. 
Twenty-five people were detained in a big operation last Tuesday 
against suspected al-Qaeda members. 
TK/TSH/AH/210 
End