Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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February 6, 2009

Pakistani Assault on Khyber Pass Militants Kills 52
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=221D3EA:A6F02AD83191E1600194A137DB0C7AF00531BB26A5003E7B&
 
Pakistani officials say assault targeted hideouts after militants cut
key supply route to Afghanistan Monday 
Officials in Pakistan said a massive ground and air offensive has killed
52 militants in the northwest Khyber Pass, where a key bridge to
Afghanistan was destroyed by suspected Islamist fighters earlier this
week. News agencies quoted officials as saying the assault targeted
militant hideouts and also destroyed an ammunition depot and eight
vehicles. No independent confirmation was immediately available. On
Monday, militants cut a key supply route to Afghanistan when they blew
up a 30-meter iron bridge and torched several stranded supply trucks.
Pakistanis mourn in front of the bodies of suicide attack victims during
their funeral in Dera Ghazi Khan, 06 Feb 2009Elsewhere in central
Pakistan Friday, scores of angry Shi'ite Muslims rioted a day after a
suspected suicide bomber killed dozens of worshippers near a Shi'ite
mosque in the town of Dera Ghazi Khan. Witnesses and police said
protesters set fire to at least one police outpost. A provincial police
official said eight suspects have been detained in connection with the
blast on Thursday, which killed at least 33 people. More than 50 others
were wounded when the bomb exploded in a crowd of Shi'ite worshippers
approaching the mosque for a religious ceremony. Residents and analysts
fear the blast at the Shi'ite mosque could inflame sectarian tensions.
Nobody has claimed responsibility for it, but authorities quickly blamed
it on extremists. Most Pakistanis are Sunni Muslim, while Shi'ites make
up about 20 percent of the country's population. Earlier, another
suicide bomber blew up his vehicle near a police station in Mingora, the
main town in Pakistan's restive Swat Valley. The local police chief said
at least 11 members of security forces were wounded.


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