In the midst of a major Pakistani military campaign against Taliban in Swat Valley, the US operated a drone against South Waziristan, firing missiles at the village of Khaisore in Mirali on Saturday, killing 29 tribesmen meeting at the house of Hikmat Roshan. Dawn adds, “In another incident, helicopters gunship shelled houses of suspected militants in the Pir Kalli area, 10 kilometers east of Miramshah on Saturday.” (This attack must have been that of the Pakistani army). The attacks responded to Taliban assaults on military convoys in the area.
An insurgent car bomb killed 9 and wounded nearly 30 persons in the northern, largely Pushtun (Pathan) city of Peshawar on Saturday.
The Pakistani military continued its operations against Taliban in Swat on Saturday. Dawn writes, “Helicopter gunships and fighter jets shelled militant hideouts in Peochar, Shamozai and Khwaza Khela areas of Swat, which started Friday night and continued until Saturday morning,’ a military official said on condition of anonymity. Pakistan’s military said Saturday that 47 militants were killed over the last 24 hours of its air and ground offensive against the Taliban in three northwestern districts.”
Aljazeera English reports on the military’s initial assault on Mingora, the largest city in Swat
Eric Margolis thinks the US is making a big mistake in forcing the Pakistan military to act so disruptively and to risk angering the Pushtuns in general.
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