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| July 24, 2007 | Tuesday | Rajab 08, 1428 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Former Guantanamo inmate blows himself up in Pakistan ISLAMABAD, July 24 (AFP) - A former Guantanamo Bay prisoner wanted for the 2004 kidnapping of two Chinese engineers in Pakistan blew himself up with a hand grenade to avoid capture by security forces on Tuesday. One-legged Abdullah Mehsud committed suicide after anti-terrorist personnel raided his hideout in Zhob (Balochistan) near the Afghan frontier, interior ministry spokesman Brigadier Javed Cheema said. Three of his accomplices were arrested, he added. Mehsud, 32, became the leader of Pakistani Taliban insurgents based in South Waziristan in 2004 and was one of the most wanted men by Pakistani forces “Intelligence reports pointed out his presence at a house and security forces mounted the raid. He sneaked into Zhob from Waziristan,” Cheema said. Abdullah Mehsud and his companions exchanged heavy gunfire with security forces for hours after the house was surrounded late Monday, police said. “When our forces finally entered before dawn this morning a man blew himself up to avoid being captured. He was identified later as Mehsud,” Zhob police chief Atta Mohammad said. During Mehsud's time on the run, his brother Baitullah had taken over from him as one of the top Taliban commanders in Pakistan's tribal regions. Baitullah has been linked to a wave of suicide bombings this year in Pakistan. “It is a major breakthrough. Abdullah Mehsud was involved in heinous attacks,” Religious Affairs Minister Ijaz-ul Haq told AFP. Intelligence officials have said they intercepted telephone calls during the siege of Lal Masjid between its rebel cleric Abdul Rashid Ghazi and Baitullah Mehsud. The militant told Ghazi that “if he is killed his blood will not be wasted”, the officials said. Ghazi was shot dead in the raid on the mosque on July 10. (Posted @ 17:36 PST)
Militants kill two paramilitary troops in North Waziristan ISLAMABAD, July 24 (Reuters) Suspected militants executed two paramilitary soldiers in a remote Pakistani northwestern tribal region near the Afghan border, officials said Tuesday. The bodies of the soldiers, kidnapped Monday, were found wrapped in plastic bags and dumped in a field near Khar, the main town of the Bajaur tribal region. “The two belonged to the Bajaur Scouts force and were assigned to supply potable water to security forces guarding checkpoints near the Afghan border,” one official said. (Posted @ 12:50 PST)
Grand Tribal Jirga adjourns for seven days after deadlock PESHAWAR, July 24 (PPI)- The Fata Grand Tribal Jirga after talks with the governor of NWFP and representatives of Utmanzai tribe for two consecutive days Tuesday adjourned for seven days to enable the two sides to review their respective positions in its bid to revive the peace agreement in North Waziristan. Reports said that the government was reluctant to accept two of the three main demands of the tribesmen. The government had shown flexibility and agreed that Utmanzai tribe would be paid the balance of the compensation it pledged while signing the peace accord on September 5 last year. “ In the peace accord the government had pledged Rs 16.5 million as compensation and it is alleged that the government failed to fulfil this commitment,” a key member of the Jirga, Senator Maulana Saleh Shah told PPI saying that it was not clear as to how much compensation had actually been paid . The senator disspelled the impression that the Grand Tribal Jirga had failed to accomplish it task, saying the Jirga has given seven days time to both sides to be flexible to achieve reconciliation. The Grand Jirga should not fail as the accord was extremely important for the country. “ Leader of Opposition Maulana Fazal Rahman has been “playing his role to save the agreement which had brought peace to the area,” the senator said in reply to a question. He also said that Abdullah Mehsud's death would not affect the talks as he belonged to South Waziristan and had no say in the deal signed with Utmanzai tribe of North Waziristan. (Posted @ 21:04 PST)
Lal Masjid: 58 applications received about missing persons ISLAMABAD, July 24 (APP): Interior Ministry has so far received 58 applications regarding missing persons after the Lal Masjid operation, spokesman Brig (Retd) Javed Iqbal Cheema said Tuesday. There are still 59 bodies yet to be identified and DNA samples of all 58 applicants have been taken, he said adding that DNA results of 52 bodies are expected by Wednesday evening. “ These bodies after due match and verification would be handed over to the claimants,” he said. He said 117 male students are still in custody and would be released by Thursday morning if not involved in criminal activities. He said that 162 personnel of the Anti Terrorist Unit of Pakistan Army took part in the operation. Nine security personnel were martyred and 41 got injured in the operation which speaks of the resistance they faced. (Posted @ 21:10 PST)
Five climbers dead in French Alps CHAMONIX, France, July 24, (AFP) - Five people died overnight in mountaineering accidents in the French Alps, according to rescuers who found their bodies on Tuesday. A group of four climbers, a Frenchman and three women from Britain, New Zealand and Chile, were attempting a group climb of France's highest peak, Mont Blanc, when they ran into serious trouble on the Bionnassay Ridge, at a height of 4,052 meters, on Monday night. (Posted @ 23:42 PST)
8 workers killed, 29 injured in boiler blast KARACHI, July 24 (APP): At least 8 workers including three brothers were killed and 29 injured in a boiler blast in a towel factory in North Karachi township in early hours of Tuesday, Edhi ambulance and hospital sources said. Doctors said most of the deaths were caused by roof collapse due to blast. Some died of severe burns. The three victim brothers hailed from Shujaabad, Punjab. Police said five injured died on way to hospital while two succumbed to their injuries in the hospital. (First Posted @ 17:00 PST Updated @ 20:04 PST)
US military drafts plan to keep troops in Iraq until mid-2009: report WASHINGTON, July 24 (AFP) - The US military command in Iraq has drafted a plan that envisages US troops staying in the country for another two years, US military officials confirmed Tuesday. (Posted @ 21:36 PST)
Pak-Afghan grand joint Jirga to meet on August 9 in Kabul ISLAMABAD, July 24 (APP): The three-day Pak-Afghan joint grand Jirga will meet at Kabul on August 9 with the aim of promoting peace in Afghanistan and tribal parts of Pakistan and countering the threat posed by terrorism and extremism, a spokesman of Interior Ministry told a press conference Tuesday. He said the two countries will have equal number of 700 delegates each at the Jirga in accordance with a decision taken at the third meeting of Pakistan and Afghanistan Jirga commissions held at Nathia Gali last month. The agenda and modalities were also finalized during that meeting. The Pakistan Jirga commission will be led by Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao. (Posted @ 21:22 PST)
167 people killed in 21 terrorist attacks since July 4 ISLAMABAD, July 24 (APP): 167 people were killed and more than 300 were injured in 21 terrorist attacks including 12 suicide bombings in the country since July 4, Interior Ministry spokesman Brig (Retd) Javed Iqbal Cheema told a press conference Tuesday. He said the law enforcement agencies were on high alert throughout the country and necessary measures have been taken in coordination with the provincial governments. Adjustments and improvements in the security measures are being made when and wherever required, he added. (Posted @ 21:14 PST)
Iraq: suicide car bomb kills 26, injures 70 in Hilla BAGHDAD, July 24 (Reuters) - A suicide car bomb Tuesday killed 26 people and wounded 70 in a crowded market in Hilla, 100 km south of Baghdad, police said. In another Incident gunmen seriously wounded a police colonel and his son and blew up three houses in Dhuluiya, 70 km north of Baghdad, while police found bodies of 24 people, all with bullet wounds and showing signs of torture, in different parts of Baghdad over the past 24 hours. (Posted @ 20:24 PST)
SKorean hostage talks in 'sensitive phase': Taliban KANDAHAR, July 24 (AFP) - Talks to secure the release of 23 South Korean hostages had entered a “very sensitive phase” as a deadline to kill the captives passed. “The negotiations continue. Right now they are in a very sensitive phase,” Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi told AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location. “We'll talk later about the results rather than about the deadline which passed,” he said without elaborating as the 1430 GMT deadline passed. Earlier, a purported Taliban commander and a tribal elder leading a government delegation said the rebels had handed authorities a list of eight jailed Taliban fighters whom they want freed for the same number of hostages. (Posted @ 20:16 PST)
Afghanistan, Pakistan need more help-U.N., Germany BERLIN, July 24 (Reuters) - The international community must increase support to Afghanistan's neighbours, including Pakistan, if peace efforts in the region are to succeed, Special U.N. representative for Afghanistan Tom Koenigs told reporters Tuesday after meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel and top German officials. International efforts aimed at stablising Afghanistan would have to be expanded to embrace Pakistan, he said. “We see in Pakistan that stabilisation efforts have suffered setbacks. This means engagement in the entire region is necessary in order to ensure security, not only for Afghanistan but also in an international context.” German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed it was necessary to increase aid to Pakistan and surrounding countries. “We need to look at our mission not in a limited way but rather to consider the entire region,” Merkel said. However, she spoke only of boosting aid to help the region meet the United Nations' so-called “Millennium Goals” aimed at dramatically reducing poverty by 2015. (Posted @ 19:46 PST)
Afghanistan's last king buried on Kabul hilltop KABUL, July 24 (AFP) -Afghan and foreign dignitaries bade farewell Tuesday to the country's last king, Mohammed Zahir Shah, as he was laid to rest beside his father and wife in a hilltop shrine overlooking Kabul. Amid tight security, President Hamid Karzai led the mourners including British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, as well as members of the Afghan royal family. (Posted @ 19:30 PST)
Dozens of militants die in fresh Afghan clashes KABUL, July 24 (AFP) - Afghan security forces backed by US-led coalition warplanes fought off a Taliban ambush Tuesday. The militants attacked a joint Afghan and coalition patrol with rockets early Tuesday in Kandahar province. “Coalition aircraft dropped four bombs and made several strafing runs on insurgent positions. Several insurgents were believed killed during the skirmish,” a statement said. One Afghan army officer was wounded and an army ambulance was destroyed, it added. (Posted @ 19:28 PST)
Iranian support for Iraq militias up despite talks: US envoy BAGHDAD, July 24 (AFP) - Iran has increased its support for militias fighting in Iraq since the start of talks between Tehran and the United States designed to quell the violence, the US ambassador to Iraq said Tuesday. Speaking after a second face-to face meeting with his Iranian counterpart in Baghdad, Ryan Crocker said the talks had been “full and frank” but that Tehran would be judged by results on the ground. “We have actually seen militia-related activity with Iranian support go up and not down,” Crocker told reporters, referring to the period since the arch enemies' last meeting on the conlict in the Iraqi capital on May 28. (Posted @ 19:26 PST)
Bulgarian medics pardoned after arrival from Libya SOFIA, Bulgaria, July 24 (AP) - Five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor were pardoned by President Georgi Parvanov on their arrival in Sofia on Tuesday, after spending eight and a half years in prison in Libya. The medics, sentenced to life in prison in Libya for contaminating children with the AIDS virus, arrived on board a plane with French first lady Cecilia Sarkozy and the EU's commissioner for foreign affairs, Benita Ferrero-Waldner. (Posted @ 18:54 PST)
Cricket: Australia stick to plan to tour Pakistan SYDNEY, July 24 (AFP) - Australia's cricket authorities said Tuesday they would honour a commitment to tour Pakistan despite Hockey Australia's decision to pull out of the Champions Trophy for security reasons. “It's our intention to fulfil our tour obligations,” a Cricket Australia (CA) spokesman said. “We will continue to monitor with the relevant security agencies both in Australia and overseas on the day-to-day developments in Pakistan.” Australia's under-19 and 'A' cricket teams are due to tour Pakistan from late August to October while Ricky Ponting's side will play three Tests and five one-day internationals in March next year. Pakistani hockey officials said earlier Tuesday that Australia, the Olympic hockey champions, had pulled out of the elite six-nation men's Champions Trophy event in Pakistan in December because of security fears. (Posted @ 18:04 PST)
At least 10 soldiers killed in Sri Lanka blast COLOMBO, July 24 (APP/AFP) -At least 10 Sri Lankan soldiers were killed and eight others wounded Tuesday when their military convoy was hit by a huge roadside bomb, officials said. The victims, almost all off-duty soldiers proceeding on leave, were travelling through the northern district of Vavuniya when the bomb went off. Separately, four paramilitary policemen were killed and two injured when suspected Tiger rebels lobbed grenades into a bunker in Vavuniya district earlier Tuesday, the military said. (Posted @ 17:06 PST)
Govt to provide resources to modernise PAF: PM ISLAMABAD, July 24 (APP): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz Tuesday vowed government's full support to modernize Pakistan Air Force, to keep it in a state of high preparedness to protect country's frontiers. Talking to Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Tanvir Mahmood the prime minister said the government was focusing on enhancing indigenous defence capabilities and was also entering into joint ventures with other countries to provide modern equipment to the PAF to augment its capabilities. The Chief of Air Staff apprised the prime minister about the initiatives taken by the PAF to modernize and upgrade the force and updated him on the JF-17 fighter aircraft, which is being jointly developed and produced with China. (Posted @ 16:50 PST)
Occupied Kashmir: protest, shutdown continue in Handwara SRINAGAR, July 24 (PP) - In occupied Kashmir, protest demonstrations marked by shutdown, continued for the fifth day Tuesday in Handwara in the aftermath of the rape and killing of a girl by the occupation troops Friday last, reports Kashmir Media Service. Police baton charged and fired tear gas shells to disperse the protesters, which resulted in injuries to many. Meanwhile, in Tral, thousands of people offered funeral prayers of two youth martyred by Indian troops and observed a complete strike. Separately, the dead body of one person was recovered from Kither Bonjwa in Doda and yet another dead body of a man was found at Chatroo in Kishtwar. Both are believed to have been killed in fake encounters by the Indian security forces. (Posted @ 16:38 PST)
Makhdoom Ali Khan working as Attorney General ISLAMABAD, July 24 (PP)I: Makhdoom Ali Khan is working as Attorney General and reports in a section of the press about his resignation are “baseless and unfounded.” A Press release issued Tuesday by AG office said Makhdoom Ali Khan has not resigned from his office as Attorney General. “ He is working as Attorney General and there is no truth in news about his resignation,” the Press release said. (Posted @ 16:30 PST)
Blair says 'sense of possibility' in Mideast RAMALLAH, West Bank, July 24 (AFP) Tony Blair said Tuesday he saw a “sense of possibility” in the Middle East, as he held talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in his first visit to the region as Quartet envoy. “There is a sense of possibility,” Blair said after meeting Israel's new president Shimon Peres in Jerusalem. “But whether that sense of possibility can be translated into something, that is something that needs to be worked at and thought about over time,” he said. (Posted @ 14:25 PST)
German hostage is very sick, Taliban says KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, July 24 (AFP) Taliban militants in Afghanistan said Tuesday that a German hostage they have held for nearly a week was very sick and was in and out of consciousness. “The German is very badly sick. He has got diabetes,” Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi told AFP by telephone from an unknown location. (Posted @ 11:50 PST)
Two killed in firefighting plane crash in Greece; similar crash in Italy leaves one dead ATHENS, July 24 (AP) A firefighting plane smashed into a hillside on a southern Greek island Monday, killing both crew members. Another firefighting plane crashed Monday in central Italy. One of the Canadair plane's crew died and the other was seriously injured when the plane went down in Italy's central Abruzzo region, the country's Civil Protection Department said. In Greece, the CL-415 tanker was flying through thick smoke to douse a fire outside the resort of Stira, on Evia island, when it crashed. (Posted @ 10:20 PST)
11 people die in pre-dawn Malaysian highway accident KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, July 24 (AP) Two Malaysians and nine citizens of Myanmar died and four other Myanmarese were seriously injured Tuesday when their van crashed into the back of a truck on a Malaysian highway, police said. They were travelling on Malaysia's East Coast Highway toward Kuala Lumpur when the pre-dawn accident occurred. The weather was foggy and the van driver was believed to have been sleepy, police said. (Posted @ 09:30 PST)
Karachi Stocks down 107.36 points: KARACHI, July 24: At close of trading, the KSE-100 index was at 13553.00, down 107.36 points. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:15 PST)
Forex update: KARACHI, July 24: The Pakistani Rupee was traded at Rs 61 to the US Dollar in the open market. (Bureau Report) (Updated @ 14:15 PST)
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