21 militants dead in Swat bombing

Published October 10, 2008

MINGORA, Oct 9: Twenty-one militants and five civilians were killed in bombing by jet fighters and mortar shelling in various areas of Swat on Thursday.

Sources said the PAF jet fighters bombed militants’ hideouts in Peuchar, Toro Bandai, Yago Bandai, Parang, May Sar, Saland and Landai Sar areas of Kabal tehsil, killing and injuring several militants loyal to hardliner cleric Maulana Fazlullah.

The command and control system, training camps and various compounds of militant commanders Omer Rehman alias Abu Obaida and Toor Mullah, which were being used by Maulana Fazlullah, were targeted and destroyed, the ISPR said.

The militants looted two trucks loaded with baby food (biscuits) sent by Unicef for undernourished children of Swat and Shangla, the ISPR said.

Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan rejected the ISPR statement, saying no Taliban was killed or injured in the bombing.

He said that four abandoned houses and a middle school were destroyed in the attacks.

Meanwhile, Hedayat Shah, principal secretary to Pakistan People’s Party MNA Sayed Allah Uddin, was killed by unknown people and his body was thrown into fields near Manglawar on Thursday.

The deceased, belonging to Charbagh area, was kidnapped by unidentified people on Wednesday.

The body was handed over to his relatives after post-mortem at the Saidu Sharif hospital.

The Khwazakhela police registered a case against unknown miscreants.

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