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| July 07, 2007 | Saturday | Jamadi-us-Sani 21, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
President Musharraf tells Lal Masjid militants to surrender ISLAMABAD, July 7 (AFP) President Pervez Musharraf told militants besieged at Islamabad’s Lal Masjid to surrender Saturday. President Musharraf said that students holed up inside the mosque for the past five days must immediately free women and children allegedly being held as human shields, or face death. “They should not prolong. They should surrender and hand over their weapons, otherwise they risk being killed,” Musharraf told reporters in his first public comment on the confrontation. “Our concern is for children and women and we are showing a lot of patience and restraint.” Fighting intensified at the now bullet-pocked mosque on Saturday. Fierce clashes erupted at lunchtime. A group of hardline MPs said troops stopped them from entering the mosque to negotiate with Abdul Rashid Ghazi. “We have been prevented because the forces of Musharraf are hell-bent on spilling the blood of women and children,” said MP Maulana Shah Abdul Aziz, the leader of the delegation. Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao said the blame lay with the cleric. “He has taken them hostage. They want to come out. So the entire responsibility about the safety of the women and children lies on Abdul Rashid Ghazi,” he told a briefing. Also, police in a pre-dawn swoop seized control of the Jamia Faridia, without a shot being fired, officials said. “Police stormed into Jamia Faridia and arrested dozens of students and shifted them to an unknown place,” a senior security official told AFP. (First Posted @ 17:56 PST Updated @ 21:08 PST)
Fighting intensifies at besieged Pakistani mosque ISLAMABAD, July 7 (AFP) - Security forces and militants at Lal Masjid exchanged increasingly intense gunfire on the fifth day of a siege around mid-day Saturday, witnesses and officials said. “It is very intense firing. The government forces have retaliated after gunshots were fired from inside the mosque,” a security official near the mosque said.. “They have unleashed very heavy gunfire on us and we are returning it in defence. One of our students has been shot and he is dead,” Mohammad Shahzad told AFP by telephone from inside the mosque. Heavy automatic weapons fire and hand grenade blasts could be heard in the background as he spoke. Security official said troops were showing restraint because of the presence of children and women in the complex “but they cannot allow the militants inside the mosque to keep targeting security forces.” (Posted @ 13:05 PST)
Govt wants Lal Masjid issue resolved avoiding loss of life: PM Aziz ISLAMABAD, July 7 (APP) Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Saturday said the government wanted to resolve the Lal Masjid issue keeping in mind the strategy to avoid loss of lives. He was briefing media persons after chairing a high-level meeting on the Lal Masjid stand-off. Aziz said the government desired to settle the issue with dialogue, but the stubbornness of Lal Masjid administration hindered the amicable solution. He termed the viewpoint of Lal Masjid administration against the national interest and contrary to the spirit of Islam. Aziz demanded of the immediate release of women and children at Jamia Hafsa, and said the detention of innocent people had restrained the government to take stringent action at the madrassa. The Prime Minister said official meetings on the issue were being held at daily basis to consider ways for finding effective solution to the issue. Earlier, the Prime Minister chaired a meeting which was attended among others by Minister for Information Mohammad Ali Durrani, Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao, Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid and Secretary Information Syed Anwar Mehmood. (Posted @ 18:32 PST)
Lal Masjid: Fresh clashes as siege enters 5th day ISLAMABAD, July 7 (AFP) - Fresh clashes and blasts rocked Islamabad as dozens of trucks carrying troops moved towards Lal Masjid just before daybreak and gunfire continued amid heavy monsoon rain. No calls for pre-dawn prayer were heard over battered mosque's loudspeakers for the second day in a row, indicating life inside the mosque has been severely disrupted by the siege. Simultaneously, authorities forced journalists to further move away from the area but insisted that security forces had not stormed the fortified complex of buildings. “We are not making any advances. This is part of the operation to secure the release of women and children held hostage by the cleric,” a security official said. Militant students lobbed grenades and petrol bombs at security forces, who responded by firing, he added. It was not immediately known if there were any new casualties. (Posted @ 09:50 PST)
Nawaz Sharif says movement under way to force Musharraf from power LONDON, July 7 (AP) Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif called Saturday for the resignation of President Pervez Musharraf, citing growing instability and a possible assassination attempt on the military ruler. ''He must quit, otherwise the nation of 160 million people of Pakistan will force him to step down,'' Sharif said at an opposition conference in London. Sharif spoke to The Associated Press on the sidelines of a conference of Pakistan's opposition parties in London, which was calling for new elections under a caretaker government without Musharraf. The conference was held by the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy, which groups Pakistan's main opposition parties. Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was not expected to attend. (Posted @ 19:04 PST)
We have arms, rations to last one month: Abdul Rashid Ghazi ISLAMABAD, July 7 (AFP) Abdul Rashid Ghazi under siege by security forces at Islamabad’s Lal Masjid told AFP Saturday his followers have enough ammunition and supplies to hold out for another month. “We have enough rations, arms and ammunition to fight for another 25 to 30 days and we will do that, God willing,” Abdul Rashid Ghazi told AFP by telephone. “I would rather die than surrender and be arrested by the government.” Ghazi said they had “planned the distribution of rations that would allow us to last for that many days,” adding, “God is helping us.” ”There are still 1,800 students inside the mosque. I repeat that we will not surrender. The government has to give us safe passage and we will go back to our home areas,” he added. (Posted @ 16:24 PST)
Pakistani politicians hope to meet Lal Masjid cleric ISLAMABAD, July 7 (Reuters) A delegation of religious parties including women parliamentarians was waiting to hold talks on Saturday with Lal Masjid cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi, holed up in the mosque, to persuade him to send out women and children. There was a break in the firing by mid-morning and while the delegation had assembled, nobody had gone in or out of the compound. On Saturday, army soldiers were deployed in place of paramilitary troops at many points around the mosque. Water, gas and power to the mosque have been cut and food was said to be getting scarce. Only a trickle of about 20 came out on Friday, among them a boy who said older students were forcing young ones to stay. Officials say they don't know how many are left in there, though they put the number of hard core militants at 50 to 60. Meanwhile, curfew was briefly lifted in the area in the morning and will be relaxed once again for two hours in the afternoon. (Posted @ 12:05 PST)
Iran officials visit five Iranians held by U.S. in Iraq BAGHDAD, July 7 (Reuters) Iranian diplomats made the first consular visit Saturday to five Iranians who were detained by U.S. forces in northern Iraq in January, Iraq's foreign minister said, describing it as a positive development. The U.S. military says the five are linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards and were backing militants in Iraq. Iran has insisted they are diplomats, demanded they be freed and sought access to the men. “Three Iranian diplomats including the ambassador in Baghdad visited the five detainees in Iraq,” Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari told Reuters, adding the visit lasted several hours. (Posted @ 21:02 PST)
U.S. appreciates President Musharraf on taking exceptional steps WASHINGTON, July 7 (PPI) United States appreciated President Pervez Musharraf for taking ''exceptional steps'' to address the menace of extremism and terrorism both at home and abroad. In regular briefing in Washington, State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack said the U.S. fully supports his efforts in this regard. Answering a question, spokesman said Red Mosque situation in Islamabad is ''a domestic affair'' of Pakistan and it is for the Pakistani authorities to deal with the standoff. He deplored the use of holed up people as human shields by Lal Masjid Administration. (Posted @ 20:34 PST)
Car bomb kills six, wounds 24 in Baghdad BAGHDAD, July 7 (Reuters) Six people including five Iraqi soldiers were killed Saturday by a suicide car bomb targeting a military checkpoint in east Baghdad, an army spokesman said. The attack also wounded 24 people, including 18 soldiers, in Baghdad’s Zayouna district, he said. (Posted @ 20:30 PST)
Tennis-Venus claims fourth Wimbledon crown LONDON, July 7 (Reuters) Venus Williams claimed her fourth Wimbledon crown Saturday beating France's Marion Bartoli 6-4 6-1 in the final. (Posted @ 20:15 PST)
Cricket-West Indies set 290 target in decider LONDON, July 7 (Reuters) West Indies gave themselves a fine chance of winning the one-day series against England when they set a winning target of 290 in the third and final match at Trent Bridge, Nottingham Saturday. Runako Morton, who finished unbeaten, and opener Chris Gayle both made 82 while Dwayne Bravo chipped in with a quick-fire 42 as West Indies reached 289 for five in their 50 overs.(Posted @ 19:50 PST)
Hamas force arrests members of Fatah clan in Gaza GAZA, July 7 (Reuters) Hamas security forces arrested at least 30 members of a large Fatah clan in the Gaza Strip Saturday. Witnesses said Hamas forces made the arrests after entering a group of houses in Gaza City belonging to the Fatah-affiliated Abu Amra clan.(Posted @ 19:40 PST)
Afghan police say 25 civilians dead in air raids ASADABAD, Afghanistan, July 7 (APP/AFP) Afghan police said Saturday 25 civilians were killed in air raids in northeastern Afghanistan, including a strike on a funeral, but the NATO-led force rejected the toll. Residents of a remote area of northeastern Kunar province said Friday that around 30 civilians were killed in the strikes Thursday and Friday, while Kunar province deputy police chief Abdul Sabur Alayar said 25 civilians were killed as were 20 “enemies.”(Posted @ 19:30 PST)
At least 105 killed in Iraq village blast KIRKUK, Iraq, July 7 (AFP) At least 105 people were killed Saturday when a truck bomb devastated a crowded Iraqi village market and demolished many homes, the top local security, administrative and health officials said. Lieutenant Colonel Saman Hamid, commander of the security coordination centre in nearby Tuz Khuramtu, told AFP that a suicide bomber had detonated a powerful bomb on board a brick truck in Emerli village. “105 Iraqis were killed and five are missing. There are more than 250 wounded,” he said. (FirstPosted @ 18:28 PST, Updated@ 19:30 PST)
Four-time defending champion Federer, Nadal back in Wimbledon final WIMBLEDON, England, July 7 (AP) Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will meet in another Grand Slam final. Four-time defending champion Federer reached his ninth consecutive major final Saturday, beating Richard Gasquet 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 on the grass courts of the All England Club. Nadal, who lost to Federer in last year's final, set up a rematch when No. 4 Novak Djokovic retired while trailing 3-6, 6-1, 4-1. (Posted @ 19:10 PST)
Fourteen get life for massacre of 116 Indian Muslims NEW DELHI, July 7 (AFP) A court sentenced 14 people to life in prison Saturday for their involvement in the killing of 116 Muslims during a month of rioting that left close to 2,000 dead in eastern India in 1989. The men, convicted last month for murder and rioting among other charges, were sentenced to life by a court in Bhagalpur, the district in eastern Bihar state where the killings occurred, the Press Trust of India reported. Six of the 24 accused in connection with the massacre died during the marathon legal proceedings while another four fled. (Posted @ 18:50 PST)
Sri Lanka says 19 killed in attacks COLOMBO, July 7 (AFP) Fifteen Tamil Tiger rebels were shot dead as they fled from troops on tractors, the Sri Lankan government said Saturday, while four people were killed elsewhere in the country. Soldiers intercepted a group of Tamil Tigers, killing 15, as they fled the jungle area of Thoppigala in the eastern Batticaloa district, a defence ministry statement said. Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels shot dead a Tamil man in the northern Jaffna district Friday, the ministry said. Two Tamil Tiger rebels were killed in northern Vavuniya district Friday during clashes with government troops, the military said. Security forces also shot dead a rebel late Friday after spying guerrilla movements across a defence line in the northeast region of Welioya, the ministry said. (First Posted @ 11:16 PST Updated @ 18:42 PST)
Eleven police, scores of Taliban killed in Afghan battle KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, July 7 (AFP) Taliban insurgents ambushed and killed 11 policemen in southwest Afghanistan’s Farah province Friday while scores of rebels died in retaliatory strikes by Afghan and US forces, officials said Saturday. It set off fighting and prompted Afghan forces on the ground to call in air support, provincial police chief Abdul Rahman Sarjang told AFP. “A compound from where the police was attacked was bombed. Up to 60 Taliban were killed,” he said. “There were no civilian casualties.” (Posted @ 18:22 PST)
Nine more US soldiers die in Iraq BAGHDAD, July 7 (AFP) Eight more American soldiers have been killed in action over two days in Iraq and a ninth died for a reason unrelated to the fighting, the US military said Saturday. In Baghdad, three soldiers and an Iraqi interpreter were killed Friday in two roadside bomb attacks, one of them carried out with an Iranian-designed armour-piercing bomb. Six more soldiers were wounded. Two more soldiers were killed south of Baghdad and two were wounded, also Friday, when their foot patrol was hit by another roadside bomb. Another soldier was killed in Baghdad Thursday in a similar attack, and two marines were killed in western Iraq “while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province,” said a US military statement. On Saturday, a soldier assigned to the US command died “of a non battle related cause” which is under investigation, said another statement. (First Posted @ 09:54 PST Updated @ 17:50 PST)
Defiant Lal Masjid cleric claims troops have killed 70 students ISLAMABAD, July 7 (AP) The top cleric at Islamabad’s Lal Masjid Abdul Rashid Ghazi accused security forces Saturday of killing more than 70 of his students, but said he and his supporters preferred martyrdom to capture. Explosions and intense gunfire continued overnight and Saturday as thousands of troops ringing the Lal Masjid attempted to end a standoff but held back from an all-out assault. ''There are 70 to 80 bodies of our students,'' he said in a claim which could not be independently verified. (Posted @ 17:38 PST)
Twelve Pakistani and five Somali illegal immigrants arrested in Ukraine LVIV, Ukraine, July 7 (AFP) Ukrainian authorities arrested 12 illegal immigrants from Pakistan and five from Somalia in two raids near to the country's western frontier, border guards announced Saturday. Ten Pakistanis were arrested Friday by a joint operation of police and border guards in a private house in Turyi Remety near to Ukraine's frontier with Slovakia, the border guards said. The two other Pakistani and five Somali illegal immigrants were detained in Khust near the Ukrainian-Romanian frontier Friday after a tip-off from a local resident. (Posted @ 16:54 PST)
Afghanistan, Pakistan agree to boost anti-terror fight: Turkey ANKARA, July 7 (AFP) Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed on closer cooperation in fighting the Taliban, during talks in the Turkish capital, the foreign ministry announced Saturday. The agreement between the two countries covers the exchange of information in matters concerning their security. They will also deny refuge to people involved in subversive and terrorist activities, the ministry said in a statement. In a bid to strengthen ties, politicians, academics and lawmakers are to travel to the neighbouring country more frequently. The agreement was reached during talks Friday between Afghanistan's junior foreign minister Mohammad Kabir Farahi, Pakistani foreign ministry official Riaz Mohammed Khan and Turkey's junior foreign minister Ertugrul Apakan. (Posted @ 16:38 PST)
Lal Masjid cleric says 'Musharraf attacker' called him ISLAMABAD, July 7 (AFP) Abdul Rashid Ghazi besieged in Lal Masjid said Saturday he had received a call from an unidentified man who said he tried to shoot President Pervez Musharraf's plane in revenge for the government crackdown. “I received a telephone call from a man I did not know, he said Ghazi sahib, congratulations. I asked him what had happened... He said, 'I fired at Musharraf's plane just a while ago',” Abdul Rashid Ghazi said by telephone. “He said that Musharraf survived.” (Posted @ 16:18 PST)
Indonesia: 14 students die as bus plunges into ravine JAKARTA July 7 (AP) - A speeding bus carrying junior high school students and their teachers plunged into a 20-meter-deep ravine on Indonesia's main island of Java on Saturday, leaving 14 dead and 48 hospitalized _ some in critical condition _ police said. (Posted @ 13:22 PST)
Angry protests in occupied Kashmir over killing of teenager in police firing SRINAGAR, occupied Kashmir, July 7 (AP) - Anger spiralled in Srinagar on Saturday after a teenager was killed when police fired on a crowd protesting alleged human rights abuses on Friday, officials said. Protests and street demonstrations erupted in several places in downtown Srinagar, with thousands of angry residents marching through the streets, said Sajad Ahmed, a local police officer. Protesters burned tires and chanted “Down with India,” “We want independence,” and traders enforced a shutdown in the old parts of the city. (Posted @ 13:20 PST)
US forces kill 6 militiamen in Iraq BAGHDAD, July 7 (Reuters) - Six militiamen loyal to Moqtada al-Sadr were killed in clashes with U.S. soldiers in the city of Diwaniya during a pre-dawn raid on Saturday, a source in his office in the city said. He said 15 Mehdi fighters were wounded. A hospital source said seven people had been killed and nine wounded. (Posted @ 13:06 PST)
Car bomb kills 22 in eastern Iraq village -police BAGHDAD, July 7 (Reuters) - A suicide car bomber killed 22 people and wounded 17 others in an attack on a group of Kurds in a village in volatile Diyala province near Iraq's border with Iran on Friday, a local official said on Saturday. The victims were returning from a funeral.(Posted @ 11:22 PST)
Seven children among 11 people killed in Nepal crash KATHMANDU, July 7 (Reuters) - At least 11 people, including seven children, were killed and four others injured when a tractor with an attached trolley plunged into an irrigation canal at Barhathawa village, 100 km southeast of Kathmandu late Friday, state-run television reported on Saturday. Nepal Television said the toll could rise as rescuers looked for other members of the wedding party travelling in the crowded tractor-trolley. (Posted @ 09:52 PST)
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