Military, Embroiled in Tribal Area Offensive, Denies Striking Insurgent Site
By Shaiq Hussain and Imtiaz Ali
Special to The Washington Post
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
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.
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