News, April 18, 2009

20 Pakistani Soldiers Killed by Taliban Suicide Bomber, in Vengeance to  the US Drone Attacks

Bomber kills 20 soldiers, police in North West Pakistan

by S.H. Khan S.h. Khan – 5 mins ago

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AFP) –

A suicide attacker detonated a car bomb at a checkpoint in a northwestern Pakistan town Saturday, killing at least 20 security forces personnel, officials in the troubled region said.

The Taliban later said it was responsible for the attack in Doaba, a town in restive Hangu tribal district some 70 kilometres (40 miles) southwest of the provincial capital Peshawar and not far from the Afghan border.

"At least 20 security forces members and policemen were killed in the suicide attack," and 10 others were injured, a security official told AFP.

"Most of the casualties are security forces and some policemen have also been killed," the official said, adding that police and military checkpoints were located a short distance from each other.

Another security official said the forces had had intelligence about the possibility of a suicide attack and they were beefing up the checkpoint when the bomber struck.

Following the attack security forces immediately cordoned off the area, which lies close to Pakistan's lawless tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.

Hours later a Tailban commander considered a close ally of Taliban warlord Baitullah Mehsud claimed their movement had carried out the attack.

"We carried out this suicide attack to revenge the US drone attacks," Mehsud's deputy, Hakimullah Mehsud, told reporters in Peshawar by telephone.

"We will continue to launch suicide attacks until US drone attacks are stopped," Hakimullah Mehsud said.

Baitullah Mehsud had threatened to launch suicide attacks to avenge missile strikes by US drones targeting (Pakistani Taliban members) in the tribal areas.

The Pakistan government says it is also deeply opposed to drone attacks, at least 37 of which have killed around 370 people since August 2008, saying they violate its territorial sovereignty and deepen resentment among Pakistanis.

President Asif Ali Zardari, who is in China attending an international economic conference, "condemned the attack and vowed to root out terrorism and extremism from the country," the presidency said in a statement.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani "strongly condemned" the incident, describing the suicide attack as "a cowardly act of terrorism," his office said.

At an aid meeting in Tokyo Friday, donor countries pledged 5.28 billion dollars to help stabilise poverty-stricken Pakistan, seen as a frontline state in the war against Islamic extremism.

Pakistani security troops are frequent targets for extremist militants who oppose the government's role in the US-led "war on terror" and more than 1,500 government forces have been killed by insurgents since 2002.