FIFTEEN KILLED AS RIVAL MILITANT GROUPS CLASH IN ORAKZAI

PARACHINAR: At least 15 militants were killed in a shootout between the supporters of two Pakistani Taliban commanders near the Afghan border, a government official said.

The official, Mir Alam, said several insurgents were also wounded during Saturday’s gun battle in the Orakzai tribal region. He said it was unclear what sparked the shootout. However, such clashes are common in Orakzai where an unspecified number of insurgents and their commanders have been hiding after fleeing a military operation in nearby regions in recent years. Pakistan’s army declared a victory in Orakzai last year but violence has continued.

PAKISTANI SUPPORT FOR MILITARY ACTION AGAINST MILITANTS DROPS.

ISLAMABAD: Domestic support for the Pakistani military’s campaign against militant groups has waned in recent years, a poll by a US group has found, showing deep-rooted opposition among the Pakistani public to the United States.

The findings of two Pew Research Center surveys will be disappointing for the United States, which wants its ally to deal forcefully with militants, particularly those fighting US-led foreign forces across the border in Afghanistan and take refuge in northwestern Pakistani border enclaves.

The survey of 3,221 Pakistanis found that just 37 per cent of them supported using the army to fight militants, which was 16 per cent lower than two years ago, according to Pew. The surveys also showed that most Pakistanis 63 per cent disapproved of the secret US raid in May that killed Osama bin Laden, with 55 per cent describing it as a “bad thing”. It was not clear if the respondents disapproved of the killing of the al Qaeda leader, who has not been popular in the country in recent years, or the secret US raid which many people saw as a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty.Only 12 per cent of respondents had a positive view of the United States and only eight per cent had confidence in President Barack Obama “to do the right thing in world affairs”, Pew said.

“Most Pakistanis see the United States as an enemy, consider it a potential military threat and oppose American-led anti-terrorism efforts,” Pew said.The overwhelming rejection of US goals in the region puts Pakistan’s US-allied government and military in a difficult position in trying to please its people while working with the United States.

Although Pakistan said the death of bin Laden was a positive step in the battle against militancy, his killing by US Navy SEALs in his Pakistani hideout seriously damaged already strained ties between the uneasy allies. After the raid, the Pakistan army cut back the number of US troops stationed in the country and ended their role in training Pakistani soldiers involved in fighting militants. The Pakistan military also faced rare criticism at home for its failure to discover that the al Qaeda chief had been living in the country, apparently undetected, for years.

“Overwhelmingly popular”

But Pew said despite criticism after the bin Laden raid, the military remained “overwhelmingly popular”, with 79 per cent of respondents saying it had a good influence on the country. The ratings for military chief General Ashfaq Kayani saw a slight decrease after the bin Laden raid with 52 per cent of people favorable and 21 per cent unfavorable. Previously, Kayani was viewed positively by 57 per cent, with 18 per cent seeing him in a negative light. Militants have stepped up attacks in recent weeks to avenge bin Laden’s killing.

Pew said 55 per cent of people surveyed were “very or somewhat worried” that the militants might take over Pakistan, though that fear was down from 69 per cent two years ago.Still, 63 per cent considered Islamic extremism a problem although that was a decline from two years ago, when 79 per cent said they were worried. Views of al Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban as threats have fluctuated over the years. In 2009, 61 per cent of Pakistanis viewed al Qaeda as a threat, dropping to 38 per cent in 2010 and rising to 49 per cent after bin Laden’s death.

The Taliban were seen as a very serious threat by 73 per cent in 2009, but that had dropped to 54 per cent. Worryingly for the United States, 26 per cent of respondents saw the Taliban regaining control in Afghanistan as good for Pakistan while 21 per cent said it would be bad. In 2010, 18 per cent believed it would be good for Pakistan.

11 KILL IN DRONE STRIKES IN KURRAM AGENCY TRIBAL REGION

On Monday Suspected US drones fired missiles into Pakistan’s Kurram Agency region, at least 11 militants killed.

US Air forces have intensified missile strikes by remotely-controlled drones in Pakistan’s border regions since the killing of Osama bin Laden by US SEALs in the country last month.

Seventy-seven militants have been killed in missile strikes by US drones this month, according to a Reuters tally based on statements from intelligence officials.

Most of these strikes focused on Waziristan a major al Qaeda and Taliban sanctuary but Monday’s attack targeted militants in Kurram, another tribal region north of Waziristan.

An intelligence official in Kurram said the four missiles fired by drones targeted two militant compounds and a vehicle in the Khardand area, a stronghold of Fazal Saeed, a local militant commander.

Saeed is closely linked to the Haqqani network one of the most feared Afghan militant groups fighting US forces across the border in Afghanistan, officials say.

“Eleven militants were killed. Nine of them were Afghans and believed to be linked to the Haqqani group,” a second intelligence official said. The remaining militants were said to be Pakistanis.

Holed up

Kurram is an unusual target and could mark a further expansion of the US campaign against militants holed up in North and South Waziristan.

North Waziristan is the major base for the Haqqani network and security officials say many of its fighters and their local allies are believed to have fled to Kurram. The militants are believed to have cut a deal with Shia Muslim tribesmen last year in Kurram and neighbouring tribal regions amid speculation that Pakistan’s army might launch an offensive in North Waziristan.

Pakistan has long publicly opposed US drone strikes, saying they complicate Islamabad’s efforts to win over the people and isolate the militants in border regions. But Washington sees them as an effective tool to stem cross-border attacks by militants on foreign forces in Afghanistan.

In Miramshah in North Waziristan, about 1,500 tribesmen staged a general strike to protest against the drone attacks. They threatened to take up arms against the Pakistani army if they continued. “We know this is happening under a secret deal with Pakistan,” a cleric, Mohammad Alam, told a rally in Miramshah. Militants in North Waziristan have agreed not to attack security forces there in return for the freedom to operate inside Afghanistan from their bases. If they scrap the deal, it could further destabilize Pakistan, already under pressure from the United States and its allies to pursue militants after the killing of Osama bin Laden.

Pakistani officials say, however, that the military is already overstretched. It also wants a commitment from the United States that its troops will secure its side of the border. Otherwise, it says, its own troops and people become vulnerable to attack by militants based on the Afghan side.

ONE PERSON KILLED IN QUETTA CAR BOMB BLAST.

QUETTA: A car bomb exploded near a women’s college Quetta, one person killing and 12 others wounding.

Four of the wounded were in a critical condition. Moreover, four shops were destroyed as a result of car bomb blast.

Police officer Hamid Shakil said the bomb appeared to have been detonated Monday by a timing device. The car was parked near a Women’s College in the Capital of Balochistan province.

Shakil did not say who was suspected of carrying out the attack nor did he indicate the target.

Balochistan has experienced frequent attacks by nationalists who demand a greater share of the province’s natural resource wealth but car bomb attacks are rare.

The province, which borders Afghanistan, is also widely believed to be home for many Afghan Taliban militants, including the group’s leader, Mullah Omar.