ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Eight tribesmen allied with the government against al-Qaeda- linked foreign fighters were killed in northwest Pakistan, authorities said Monday.
No one took responsibility for the attacks in the South Waziristan region. But those killed were loyal to pro-government tribal leader Maulvi Nazir, a rival of local Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud. The government has accused Mehsud of involvement in the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, as well as a string of other attacks.
The army said the eight were killed when militants fired rockets in two separate attacks Sunday night on offices of Nazir’s supporters. Local intelligence officials said three tribesmen were killed in the town of Wana, and a second strike in the nearby Shakai village killed five tribesmen and wounded six. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to journalists.
An escalation in tensions in South Waziristan could spark a surge of violence in a region laden with weaponry where the state has scant control. Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and his top deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, are believed to be hiding somewhere in Pakistan’s lawless tribal regions bordering Afghanistan.
On Sunday, Pakistan reiterated that it will not let American forces hunt al-Qaeda and Taliban militants on its soil, after The New York Times reported that the Bush administration was considering expanding U.S. military and intelligence operations into Pakistan’s tribal regions.
