Pakistani forces killed up to 30 militants close to the Afghan border yesterday as the top US diplomat for the region visited for talks with government leaders, officials said.
US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher’s trip comes amid strains between Islamabad and Washington over suspected US missile attacks on militant targets in the country’s northwest bordering Afghanistan.
The US embassy gave no details on Boucher’s trip other than to say it had been planned for some time and that he was meeting a range of government officials.
Washington wants Islamabad to do more to fight al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters in the northwest who are blamed for rising attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Pakistan insists it is taking the threat seriously, but US and regional officials suspect that elements within the government and security forces may be secretly aiding the militants, a charge denied by the government.
In the latest fighting close to the border, Pakistani fighter jets bombed insurgents, killing up to 20, army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said.
The bombs hit an ammunition dump, causing extensive damage, he said.
In nearby Bajur district, seven more insurgents were killed when jets bombed their positions, said Muhammad Jamil Khan, the No. 2 government official in the area.
Security official Fazl Rabi said three militants were killed in other parts of Bajur when they tried to attack security posts.
It was not immediately possible to independently confirm the casualties. Reporters cannot visit the area because of poor security and government restrictions, and no Taliban spokesman was available for comment.
‘SHORTSIGHTED’: Using aid as leverage is punitive, would not be regarded well among Pacific Island nations and would further open the door for China, an academic said New Zealand has suspended millions of dollars in budget funding to the Cook Islands, it said yesterday, as the relationship between the two constitutionally linked countries continues to deteriorate amid the island group’s deepening ties with China. A spokesperson for New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters said in a statement that New Zealand early this month decided to suspend payment of NZ$18.2 million (US$11 million) in core sector support funding for this year and next year as it “relies on a high trust bilateral relationship.” New Zealand and Australia have become increasingly cautious about China’s growing presence in the Pacific
Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki yesterday erupted again with giant ash and smoke plumes after forcing evacuations of villages and flight cancelations, including to and from the resort island of Bali. Several eruptions sent ash up to 5km into the sky on Tuesday evening to yesterday afternoon. An eruption on Tuesday afternoon sent thick, gray clouds 10km into the sky that expanded into a mushroom-shaped ash cloud visible as much as 150km kilometers away. The eruption alert was raised on Tuesday to the highest level and the danger zone where people are recommended to leave was expanded to 8km from the crater. Officers also
The team behind the long-awaited Vera Rubin Observatory in Chile yesterday published their first images, revealing breathtaking views of star-forming regions as well as distant galaxies. More than two decades in the making, the giant US-funded telescope sits perched at the summit of Cerro Pachon in central Chile, where dark skies and dry air provide ideal conditions for observing the cosmos. One of the debut images is a composite of 678 exposures taken over just seven hours, capturing the Trifid Nebula and the Lagoon Nebula — both several thousand light-years from Earth — glowing in vivid pinks against orange-red backdrops. The new image
ESPIONAGE: The British government’s decision on the proposed embassy hinges on the security of underground data cables, a former diplomat has said A US intervention over China’s proposed new embassy in London has thrown a potential resolution “up in the air,” campaigners have said, amid concerns over the site’s proximity to a sensitive hub of critical communication cables. The furor over a new “super-embassy” on the edge of London’s financial district was reignited last week when the White House said it was “deeply concerned” over potential Chinese access to “the sensitive communications of one of our closest allies.” The Dutch parliament has also raised concerns about Beijing’s ideal location of Royal Mint Court, on the edge of the City of London, which has so
RSS