Blast Kills 8 in Northwest Pakistan

Military, Embroiled in Tribal Area Offensive, Denies Striking Insurgent Site

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Pakistani militants visit the headquarters of their leader Menghal Bagh which was bombed by government forces at a troubled area of Bara Akakheil in Pakistan's tribal area of Khyber Sunday, June 29, 2008. Paramilitary troops were able to return to their abandoned posts in part of the Khyber region Sunday as Pakistani forces widened their offensive against local militants in the volatile tribal area along the border with Afghanistan, an official said. (AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad) (Mohammad Sajjad - AP)

Local Pakistani tribal people gather in a military compound destroyed by government forces in Qambarkhel in Pakistan's tribal area of Khyber Monday, June 30, 2008. A powerful explosion destroyed a militant compound and killed up to eight people in a volatile tribal where Pakistan security forces are waging an offensive against pro-Taliban, residents said. (AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad) (Mohammad Sajjad - AP)

A local Pakistani tribal man visits a house destroyed by government forces in Qambarkhel in Pakistan's tribal area of Khyber Monday, June 30, 2008. A powerful explosion destroyed a militant compound and killed up to eight people in a volatile tribal where Pakistan security forces are waging an offensive against pro-Taliban, residents said. (AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad) (Mohammad Sajjad - AP)

Pakistani tribal people line up to offer funeral prayers for those killed in an attack by government forces on militants compound in Qambarkhel in Pakistan's tribal area of Khyber on Monday, June 30, 2008. A powerful explosion destroyed a militant compound and killed up to eight people in a volatile tribal where Pakistan security forces are waging an offensive against pro-Taliban, resident said. (AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad) (Mohammad Sajjad - AP)

Map locates the Khyber tribal area in Pakistan, where an explosion killed up to eight people; 1c x 1 3/4 inches; 46.5 mm x 44.5 mm (Yuko Yajima - AP)

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By Shaiq Hussain and Imtiaz Ali

Special to The Washington Post
Tuesday, July 1, 2008; Page A07

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 30 -- A powerful explosion ripped through a compound used by an armed Islamist group in Pakistan's volatile tribal areas Monday, killing eight people, as the country's paramilitary forces pushed forward with their offensive against insurgents.

The cause of the explosion in Qambarkhel village in Khyber Agency was unclear. The Pakistani military denied involvement.

Residents said the blast destroyed the compound of Haji Namdar, a commander of a pro-Taliban group, the Suppression of Vice and Promotion of Virtue Movement. A spokesman for the group blamed U.S. and NATO forces based in Afghanistan for the explosion, saying it was the result of a missile strike.

"This is open and naked aggression, and this is not the first time that the U.S.-led forces have done this," the spokesman, Munsif Khan, said in a telephone interview.

A resident of the village, Bilal Afridi, said the explosion was so huge that it jolted his house, located near the compound. Another resident said some bodies were trapped under rubble after the blast.

On Saturday, Pakistani paramilitary forces launched an offensive in Khyber Agency against insurgents who had been threatening to overtake Peshawar, the largest city in the country's northwest.

Pakistan's government has not publicly identified the exact target of the offensive, but the operation is believed to be directed against three insurgent groups, according to local sources: Lashkar-e-Islam, Ansarul Islam and Namdar's group.

The operation in Khyber Agency -- a key supply route for U.S. and NATO forces battling the Taliban in Afghanistan -- coincides with a visit to Pakistan by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard A. Boucher, who is scheduled to discuss counterterrorism efforts with authorities here. A five-member congressional delegation is also visiting Islamabad.

U.S. officials have expressed concern over the Pakistani government's willingness to hold peace talks with radical groups in the tribal areas. On Saturday, following the start of the operation in the region, one the most influential Taliban commanders in the region, Baitullah Mehsud, suspended those talks and threatened to carry out further attacks.