The Daily News (Pakistan), Thursday, February 11, 2010

* 11 khasadars, six civilians among dead, 10 people injured
* Witnesses say 18-year-old bearded youth rammed car into khasadars van

ISLAMABAD:

A suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden car into a khasadar patrol vehicle on Wednesday in Jamrud tehsil of Khyber Agency, killing 17 people, including 11 khasadar personnel, officials said.

They said Rangers’ Captain Saleem and six civilians were among the dead in Wazir Dhand area of Jamrud, while 10 people were injured in the blast.

The injured were taken to the Hayatabad Medical Hospital for treatment. Officials said a reporter for a Peshawar-based English daily, Amjad Afridi, was also injured in the blast. The officials said the khasadar mobile was on a routine patrol when the suicide bomber attacked them in a car.

Eyewitnesses told Daily Times that an 18-year-old bearded youth hit a white car into the khasadar van coming from the opposite direction.

According to the AFP, 13 people, including seven khasadars, were killed in the attack. It said three other vehicles were severely damaged by flying shrapnel. Shoes and slippers of the victims were scattered across the blood-spattered road, AFP reported.

“The death toll has risen to 13. Seven are khasadar and we are trying to ascertain the identities of six others,” Shafeerullah Wazir, the Khyber Agency administration chief, told AFP. There was no claim of responsibility.

According to APP, the blast occurred on the Pak-Afghan highway when the suicide bomber, apparently on foot, struck the khasadar vehicle near Takhta Baig Bridge.

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani condemned the attack, saying such cowardly acts could not demoralise the security forces or the nation’s resolve to eliminate terrorism from the country. sajid ali/agencies

Army brigadier killed, 2 injured in Tirah attack as chopper crashes

Thursday, February 11, 2010

JAMRUD/PESHAWAR:

A brigadier was killed while a colonel and lieutenant were injured after suspected Taliban in Khyber Agency’s Tirah Valley attacked a rescue team sent after a crashed Cobra helicopter, official sources said on Wednesday. “Brig Hussain has embraced shahadat during the rescue mission sent after a Cobra helicopter crashed, killing its pilot and gunner,” officials told Daily Times.

The injured colonel and lieutenant were shifted to Peshawar for treatment. Earlier, according to an army statement, a Cobra helicopter gunship crashed in Nangrasa area in Tirah valley. However, it did not elaborate on the cause. Military experts were taken by surprise on a brigadier-level officer being sent on a rescue mission, which could have been undertaken by a junior officer also. sajid ali/iqbal khattak