Pakistani jets bomb N. Waziristan, killing up to 6

2009-07-05 10:11:01 -

MIR ALI, Pakistan (AP) - Pakistani fighter jets bombed suspected Taliban positions in a tribal region that could end up the focus of a future military offensive, killing as many as six people Sunday, intelligence officials said.
The airstrikes hit several homes in parts of North Waziristan, the two intelligence officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media. The officials said six people died and several were wounded. They did not say if the dead were militants.
Two local residents, however, said two people were killed and seven injured, and that all the victims were tribesmen. The witnesses, Shanawat Khan and Akhtarullah, told The Associated Press via phone that three local tribesmen's homes were hit in the Degan village area.
Pakistan's armed forces are laying the groundwork for a full-scale offensive against Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud in South Waziristan, but in recent days, clashes with and statements by militant leaders in neighboring North Waziristan have raised the possibility of army action there as well.
Pakistan's army operations have been strongly supported by U.S. officials keen to see an end to hide-outs for militants implicated in attacks on American forces across the border in Afghanistan.
Over the past week, North Waziristan militant commander Hafiz Gul Bahadur said he was pulling out of a peace deal with the government, and his fighters took responsibility for a deadly ambush of troops in the region.
The army has warned that it will retaliate against tribes in the area who shelter Taliban militants, though it has stopped short of saying it will pursue an offensive. Sunday's bombing may have been part of the retaliatory efforts.
Pakistan is trying to isolate Mehsud, who is blamed for a string of suicide attacks across the country.
In a recent interview, army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas described Mehsud as the main «center of gravity» for militants along the frontier, saying eliminating him and clearing South Waziristan was a higher priority than going after other militant commanders elsewhere.
Abbas could not immediately be reached for comment Sunday.
Associated Press writer Nahal Toosi contributed to this report from Islamabad.