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A BOMB CLAIMED by the Pakistani Taliban has killed 20 soldiers and wounded 30 after it ripped through a military convoy in the restive northwest of the country.
The attack, one of the deadliest to hit Pakistani security forces in recent years, happened in the city of Bannu near the North Waziristan tribal region which is a stronghold of militants linked to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.
“A vehicle-borne improvised explosive device caused the blast,” a senior military official told AFP, adding the exact circumstances were unclear.
An official statement said 20 soldiers were killed and 30 injured in the attack, which hit one of the vehicles in the convoy at 8:45 am local time.
The convoy was about to leave for the town of Razmak in North Waziristan when the blast hit one of the civilian vehicles hired to move troops.
Taliban ‘ready for talks’
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan spokesman Shahidullah Shahid claimed responsibility.
“It was part of our fight against a secular system,” he said by telephone from an undisclosed location.
“We will carry out more such attacks in future,” he said, adding the Taliban were seeking revenge for the deaths of their former chief Hakimullah Mehsud and deputy Waliur Rehman — both killed in US drone attacks.
The Taliban vowed they would not engage in any dialogue with the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif following the death of Mehsud.
But Shahid said today that the group “is ready for meaningful negotiations despite facing huge leadership losses, if the government proves its authority and sincerity” by halting drone attacks and withdrawing troops from tribal areas.
Taliban insurgents have led a bloody campaign against the Pakistani state since 2007, staging hundreds of attacks on security forces and government targets.
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The Taliban are a pimple on the face of humanity.
Kinda like the provos Jamie
The Provos didn’t strap bombs to children and tell them to blow up schools JB.
They did tie an innocent man into a van though and made him drive a bomb to a British army checkpoint killing him and 5 soldiers. Real heroes.
You’re reaching and you know it JB. That is hardly comparable to training large numbers of children to carry out suicide attacks on civilians. It’s hardly comparable to shooting a young girl because she wants an education.
Your trolling is getting desperate and also a bit boring lad.
“It was part of our fight against a secular system,” It’s getting as bad as Tower Hamlets.
So basically, the US is contributing directly to the destabilisation of another sovereign state in the world, this time through the use of terrorism in the form of illegal and barbaric drone strikes.
What absolute horseshit. This is a Pakistani problem. One half of their government is hand in hand with the Taliban and the other half is trying to destroy them. This happened in the Tribal North West where the good half of the government has very little sway. So blaming the US for this is like blaming Martians for the weather.
Usual anti Us crap from armchair generals who would sh1t themself if it was here.
Thank you rmcd and mick!
Horgay, it’s the Taliban who pose a threat to Pakistan not the US!
I am so sick of you distorting the truth on this whole subject. Please don’t respond with your usual “I’m only stating my opinion”
So Declan
The hundreds of illegal drone strikes carried out in Pakistan so far where entire innocent families have been wiped out has not had a destabilising influence on the very fabric of Pakistani society. Hmm….
Horgay has a point there Declan
Horgay you know full well that the Pakistani Taliban were active against the Pakistani army long before any drone strikes. Both in 2007 and 2009 the Pakistani army launched operations against the Taliban in this area killing thousands of Taliban fighters.
Foxy, Horgay does not have a point. Obviously you don’t know blowe/seoirse/Horgay.
Get real about the Taliban in Pakistan. They moved in there after the US ousted them from Afghanistan in 2001. Go listen to what the Pakistanis have to say about the Taliban when they came into their country. It’s well documented.
The Taliban are the problem!!!
The problem is lack of education and teaching of religion. The more people know the more they move away from this and increase standards of living.
forget religion. .that will cut the work in half (-;
James, it’s very hard for the local population to move away when the Taliban move in.
James, the Taliban shot a young girl because she had the gall to push for better education. What would be your plan as Minister for Education in Pakistan when the Taliban shoot students and suicide bomb schools?
Not to give in.they want to stop education.how do you beat that? By education. Of course they do need to be tackled head on as well.
James, yes your right. The Taliban need to be tackled head on and then you can help people get the education they need. The Taliban are getting in the way of that.
Declan
Can you explain the huge increase in heroin after the US invaded that region
And for the record I’m not anti American it’s the government I have issue with
Foxy. When the Taliban where in power they stopped Opium production because the Koran says its evil. The same Koran that says that Suicide is sinful. But now that the Taliban needs money to carry out their operations that part of the Koran that says being involved in narcotics is sinful is ignored just as the bit about suicide. They claim to obey the Koran to the letter but yet ignore anything they don’t like.
sounds bad but the truth is if the 20 men were at home they would be alive, happy, and taking care of there families. what a f..ckin waste over nothing. … (again)
Kevin,
Nothing? Defending your country from being overrun by deluded murderers is nothing. They are fighting against the type of people who brainwash children and send them to blow up other children, the type of people who shoot little girls in the head for having the gall to want an education. These men died defending their families and loved ones from psychopaths. Have some decorum and keep your woefully ill-informed comments to yourself.
ok daddy!!
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you look young to have grey hair mate. oh wait sorry its a hood
have your say