Pakistan state TV: Missiles kill 20

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

MIRAN SHAH, Pakistan - At least 20 people were killed in a missile strike near the Afghan border on Sunday, state-run Pakistan Television said.

The strike destroyed the house of a suspected militant leader, according to a local tribesman.

Seven missiles were fired in the strike in the tribal area of South Waziristan, the television report said.

The report did not indicate where the missiles came from, but U.S.-led coalition forces based in neighboring Afghanistan have launched attacks inside the Pakistani border in the past.

Pakistan has been battling Islamic militants linked to al-Qaida and the Taliban in its regions bordering Afghanistan. The U.S. considers the country's effort vital to the war on terrorism.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080316/ap_on_re_as/pakistan_missile_attack

[ohio2007]

1. US Forces Protect Pakistan Hopsital Treating US Injured

the news overshadowed by whoregate;

snip

Soon after the bloody blast in a roadside Italian restaurant all members of the diplomatic community who had come to dine or shop in a relatively safe sector of the Capital rushed back to their homes in the Diplomatic Enclave.
According to police sources security personnel deployed at various entry points of the Diplomatic Enclave were alerted to check vehicles with more vigilance.
Meanwhile it was reliably learnt that the entire diplomatic community had suspended their movement schedules even within the Capital territory.
Embassies and High Commissions have sent urgent messages to their employees not to go out of the Diplomatic Enclave until further instructions from their respective governments.
All the diplomats residing outside the Diplomatic Enclave have been advised to shift to safer resorts.

snip
http://www.nation.com.pk/daily/mar-2008/16/index11.php

coincidence between the two stories ?

[ohio2007]

2. Bomb Blast in the Heart of Islamabad

It is the first attack that has apparently targeted foreigners in Islamabad since 2002, analysts say. Two foreign diplomats, one from the US and one from the UK, were among the injured, their governments said. Those injured also include nationals from Japan, Canada and Turkey, officials say. Five are US nationals, according to police.

snip

… Luna Caprese is located in a busy shopping area, and is one of the few restaurants that serve alcohol in Islamabad. There have been concerns raised recently by security officials over the lack of protection of such venues, the BBC’s Syed Shoaib Hasan reports from Pakistan. Foreigners, especially those from Western countries, were advised last year to stay away from public places and popular restaurants, he says.


snip

... They are sending a message to Gen. Musharraf’s government reminding them that they have lost control of the country, they are sending a message to the incoming political parties to let them know that they should tread with care on the issue of extremism, and they are sending a message to the rest of the world that Pakistan is a dangerous place and will remain so no matter what happened in the elections or what happens on Monday.

snip
http://pakistaniat.com/2008/03/15/luna-caprese-bomb-blast-in-the-heart-of-islamabad/comment-page-2/#comments

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7298609.stm
The new government in Pakistan will have to address this "non story" come monday when the government is in session.

The time has come for them to get down to work.

[No DUplicitous DUpe]

3. Reuters: A US warplane fired missiles on Sunday..... (Adds denial U.S. military aircraft involved)

http://www.reuters.com/article/featuredCrisis/idUSL16174238

...WANA, Pakistan, March 16 (Reuters) - A U.S. aircraft fired missiles on Sunday at a house in a Pakistani region known as a haven for al Qaeda and Taliban fighters, killing at least 9 militants and wounding nine, an intelligence official said.

A U.S. Central Command spokesman said the missiles were not fired by any military aircraft, leaving open the possibility it could have been a CIA-operated pilotless drone aircraft.

[No DUplicitous DUpe]

4. I think this story should be on the homepage of DU

KICK!

[Doctor_J]

5. What does US State TV (aka Cable News) say?

As someone else noted, there's been more coverage of the collapsed crane today than we've seen about the ME in the last 6 months.

[ohio2007]

7. FBI presence in bombed Pak dinner adds to mystery ( non US source )

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani police spread a dragnet following a bomb attack on Saturday night that killed a Turkish woman and wounded four FBI agents among several other people dining at an Italian restaurant in Islamabad.

But police said on Monday they have so far been unable to link any those picked up to the attack on the Luna Caprese restaurant, a favourite hangout for foreigners as it is one of the few places in the Pakistani capital where alcohol is served.

The investigation was being carried out jointly with intelligence agencies, and a forensics report was awaited to ascertain whether the bomb was planted in the garden dining area or thrown over a wall.

Investigating officer Ashraf Shah said that three to four kg of explosives was used in the attack.

The FBI confirmed on Sunday that four of five Americans wounded in the attack were FBI agents.

"Four FBI personnel were slightly injured in the bombing attack in Pakistan. The FBI is providing the necessary assistance to our employees and their families," FBI spokesman Richard Kolko said.
He provided no further details.

]http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/FBI_presence_in_bombed_Pak_dinner_adds_to_mystery/articleshow/2875650.cms

The FBI sniffing around in an Italian eatery in Pakistan with all those bin Laden fans bussing tables ?
imo,
they are closing in on a big fish and somebody just suggested they should get their food to go.

[Theres-a]

6. K & R