Deadly Blast in Pakistan Targets Anti-Taliban Tribal Leaders
By VOA News
06 November 2008
Pakistani officials say a bomb exploded Thursday in the country's northwest at a meeting of tribal leaders who oppose al-Qaida and Taliban extremists, killing at least 10 people and wounding more than 40 others.
Authorities said it appears to have been a suicide bombing, while tribal leaders were drawing up a plan to force militants out of their area.
The attack occurred near the town of Khar in the semi-autonomous Bajaur region bordering Afghanistan, where many militants have gathered after being driven out of other Pakistani regions.
The government has increased attacks in the Bajaur region as well, killing at least 17 suspected militants earlier Thursday in raids by Pakistani fighter jets.
The U.S. military has also been targeting Pakistan's tribal areas, from where many of the militants launch attacks in both Pakistan and Afghanistan.
In an interview with the Associated Press, the chief of U.S. Central Command, General David Petraeus, said three of the top 20 extremist leaders had been killed in the region recently. He did not identify those killed.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
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