Pakistani provincial authorities said four or five foreign
terrorists were killed in last week's US missile strike that has
strained relations with this Muslim nation, a key ally in US
President George. W. Bush's war on terror.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, on the eve of a trip
Wednesday to Washington, said that despite the importance of ties
with the United States, attacks inside Pakistan "cannot be
condoned."
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"Pakistan has committed to fighting terrorism but naturally we
cannot accept any action within our country which results in what
happened over the weekend," Aziz said, referring to the missile
strike Friday in the border village of Damadola. Eighteen local
people, including women and children, were also killed.
Pakistani intelligence officials have said the target of the
attack was al-Qaida No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri, who was invited to a
dinner celebrating an Islamic holiday in the village but sent some
aides instead.
US counterterrorism officials, however, haven't ruled out that
Osama bin Laden's chief lieutenant was killed in the attack.
In the first official confirmation by Pakistani authorities that
militants were killed, the administration of Pakistan's
semiautonomous tribal regions bordering Afghanistan said in a
statement Tuesday that the four or five bodies of "foreign
terrorists," who were among 10 to 12 extremists attending the
dinner, were taken away "by their companions." It did not identify
the dead militants.
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The statement, citing the chief official in the Bajur region where
the Damadola is located, said its findings were from a report
compiled by a "joint investigation team" but gave no specifics on
who was included in the team.
There have been conflicting accounts from Pakistani officials
and witnesses over who, if anyone, reclaimed bodies from the scene
of the missile strike.
Damadola residents claim all the victims were locals and they
buried them all. One Pakistani official told The Associated Press
on Saturday that bodies had been taken away for DNA tests, although
it wasn't clear by whom.
In Washington, a US counterterrorism official said Monday that a
compound hit in the attack had been visited in the past by
significant terrorist figures and that there were "strong
indications that was happening again."
Pakistan's Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao, however, would only
say Tuesday there was a "possibility" that foreigners were killed
in the strike. He told AP the government had "no information" about
the presence of al-Zawahri.
White House press secretary Scott McClellan refused to discuss
the attack Tuesday, but said the US would continue pursuing
al-Qaida leaders.
(Chinadaily.com via agencies January 18, 2006)
