Pakistan 'army air strike kills dozens of civilians'

[Creder]

While I must give the benefit of the doubt to the authorities and believe that they must have confirmed the presence of militants, such high figures made me think otherwise. Jang group has been extremely supportive of the military operation and has downplayed comments of Taliban apologists and sympathizers for quite a while now.

They have reported it using their own reporters not a foreign agency. All other reports come from a single reporting source and given a context by the newspaper. There might have been an intelligence failure or the civilians joined in after the jets were given a go ahead.

We must look objectively but we support what the officials will say. It will be a PR disaster if civilians have been killed in such large numbers.

Ive quoted hindustan times, telegraph.co.uk Al jazeera ..you name it they are all classifying them as militants.. I could be wrong but so far nothing. I'll keep checking

 

[sparklingway]

Dawn is reporting 96 militants killed as well.

Daily Times is reporting both accounts.

45 killed as jets bomb LI hideouts in Tirah

* Officials claim airstrikes targeted LI meeting
* 54 bodies recovered during search operation in Lower Orakzai

PESHAWAR: At least 45 militants were killed on Saturday in airstrikes in Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency, officials claimed on Saturday.

The airstrikes targeted a meeting of Lashkar-e-Islam (LI), they said. “At least 45 militants of the LI were killed and two hideouts were also destroyed,” Khyber administration chief Shafeerullah Wazir said. “The death toll may rise as dozens of others were also injured in the airstrikes,” he added.

A military official and another tribal administration official confirmed the incident and the death toll. “The airstrikes were launched on a tip-off that a meeting of the LI was going on in Tirah,” the military official told AFP.

LI has ties with the Taliban and has stirred up trouble in Khyber. The group is also accused of attacking NATO supply vehicles travelling through the area into neighbouring Afghanistan.

Khyber is on the main NATO land supply route through Pakistan into Afghanistan, where more than 121,000 foreign forces are battling to reverse an escalating Taliban insurgency, now into its ninth year. The country has launched several operations in the past two years in Khyber to flush out terrorists from the area.

Recovered: Separately, 54 bodies were recovered during a search operation in Berot area of Lower Orakzai. The number of killed in the Berot clash has reached 69, APP reported. agencies

Locals claim 60 civilians killed

BARA: The more than 60 people who died in the airstrikes in Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency were civilians, locals and official sources said on Saturday. “The jet fighters first hit a house belonging to Saeed Khan. Minutes later, when people got there to remove the bodies from the rubble, the jets attacked again,” locals told Daily Times. “The dead civilians included women and children,” locals said, adding that the house and a nearby building were completely destroyed. The injured were shifted to hospitals in Landikotal and Jamrud. Some patients who were in a critical condition were also shifted to hospitals in Peshawar. The locals claimed that only civilians, no terrorists, were killed in the attack. sajid ali

 

[Kompromat]

The Question is if there were Millitants then what the Heck Civillians were doing there ?

 

[sparklingway]

This is the Dawn report

Air strikes kill 100 in Khyber and Orakzai
Sunday, 11 Apr, 2010

PARACHINAR: Military air strikes killed nearly 100 suspected militants and civilians in two tribal regions on Saturday, an apparent intensification of efforts by the army to mop up Taliban fighters fleeing a military operation in Waziristan.

The strikes were carried out in Orakzai and Khyber.

In Orakzai, 54 alleged militants were killed during ongoing clashes over a checkpoint in the Baizoti town area, local official Samiullah Khan said.

The latest strikes followed the killing of 18 suspected militants in the town on Friday.

He said the insurgents were attacked as they entered Orakzai from the nearby Khyber tribal region to recapture the strategic checkpoint.

The information could not be independently verified because access to the tribal areas is largely restricted. — AP

Our Landi Kotal correspondent adds:

At least 50 people, several non-combatants among them, were killed when military planes attacked suspected positions of militants in Tirah valley of Khyber Agency.

Officials said that military planes attacked hideouts of the Lashkar-i-Islam in the remote valley.

Yaran Khel, an injured tribesman in a Peshawar hospital, said that no jirga was being held when the air raid was carried out.

Doctors said that 15 of the injured, women and children among them, had been taken to the Hayatabad Medical Complex in Peshawar.

“Four children with multiple injuries have been brought to the hospital,” a doctor told Dawn.

He said that if more wounded were brought from Tirah, they would be shifted to other hospitals.

Khyber Agency’s Political Agent Shafeerullah said that 42 people were killed and 15 injured in the attack.

Officials said that the number of dead could rise because of the intensity of bombing.

A tribal elder said: “We have reports that it was intense bombing and civilians have been killed and injured.”

Military officials said that they had attacked militants’ hideouts in Narai Baba, Sandana, Nangrosa, Ghulam Ali, Nakai and Sra Vela, in Tirah valley near the Afghan border.

Local sources said several of the injured had been shifted to Jamrud and Peshawar hospitals despite barricades set up by security forces at a number of points.

Officials said that Tirah had become a hub of militant activities after they were expelled from Orakzai and South Waziristan because of military operations.

ELDERS ANGRY:

Kokikhel elders condemned the bombing in Sra Vela and alleged that most of the dead were non-combatant tribesmen.

They refuted official claims about the existence of militants’ hideouts and insisted that local residents had set up some bunkers in self-defence.

They urged the political administration to arrange for the early shifting of injured to hospitals in Khyber and Peshawar.

Situation remained tense in Orakzai and search operation was underway in several pockets. Political Agent Riaz Masood said that 90 per cent area of Lower Orakzai had been cleared.

He said that after taking complete control of the lower area security forces would move towards the upper parts.

“Militants have suffered heavy casualties and operation is successful,” he said.

 

[Rank]

Shabaash On American demand kill own civilian NO ONE CAN HERE JUSTIFY that they all are militant very good WELLDONE!! Pakistan Army and GOV make more and more terrorist for our nation!!!

 

[sparklingway]

Shabaash On American demand kill own civilian NO ONE CAN HERE JUSTIFY that they all are militant very good WELLDONE!! Pakistan Army and GOV make more and more terrorist for our nation!!!

Don't inflame. It has not been proven conclusively. We need more proof.

And nobody is fighting on "American Demand". It is our war and we support eliminating the entire TTP and LI. They were brought to the table time and again and they broke peace pacts, now its surrender or die.

I sincerely wish that the entire TTP and LI is eliminated. Not once person should be left behind. Bloody barbarians have destroyed our country.

 

[Moorkh]

GJ if the killed are terrorists,

RIP if they are civilians

 

[desiman]

this will only cause more problems for Pakistan in the long run, May the souls of the dead rest in peace

 

[Hammy007]

this is like a genocide on pakistan people by PAF, wtf??????????????

horrible news indeed, have they gone insane???

shows the whole picture, if the army goes on killing innocent people in the veil of US supported war on terror inside our own country then the people will start rebellion against the federation.

and we are complaining about the leaked US army killings in iraq

 

[karan.1970]

if the news is true, then its unfortunate.. but blaming PAF is not right.. Mistakes happen..

 

[herakles]

Airforces around are world are trained for use of deadly force...........they are trained like that way....they cannot be blamed.

RIP the civilians...................
Death to terrorists

 

[Musafar]

At least 50 people, several non-combatants among them, were killed when military planes attacked suspected positions of militants in Tirah valley of Khyber Agency.

Officials said that military planes attacked hideouts of the Lashkar-i-Islam in the remote valley.

Yaran Khel, an injured tribesman in a Peshawar hospital, said that no jirga was being held when the air raid was carried out.

Doctors said that 15 of the injured, women and children among them, had been taken to the Hayatabad Medical Complex in Peshawar.

“Four children with multiple injuries have been brought to the hospital,” a doctor told Dawn.

He said that if more wounded were brought from Tirah, they would be shifted to other hospitals.

Khyber Agency’s Political Agent Shafeerullah said that 42 people were killed and 15 injured in the attack.

I believe the word of a Doctor than any press agency or spin machine.

May Allah give the innocent , men, women and children injured sabr from their own country which has attacked them instead of protected them.

As for this intelligence failure, heads need to roll. If this village decides to join the TTP now, how can we blame them? We need to compensate them for their losses starting with a public apology from the prime minister.

 

[desiman]

suspected militants - the key word

 

[TOPGUN]

Its sad indeed but know things happen in war and we are at war with these cowards... no need to bad mouth our armed forces who lay there lives each and everyday to make sure the country will come back to being safe . It is very hard to tell who is who these days its part of life hence, i know the poor that are dieing is not fair but its nearly impossible to have 100% accurate info/intel when we are against a cowardly force who hide and blend amongst the locals so give it a rest people have faith rip to the dead .

 

[TechLahore]

Makes no logical sense that such a large number of "innocent civilians" would be at the same place with a significant number of militants. If it was 100 civilians and 2 militants, one could say the militants were probably unknown to the civilians and there was a mix-up. But there were dozens of militants openly conducting a gathering and everyone in the immediate vicinity would know that. What were the alleged dozens of civilians doing in a militant gathering?

I would much rather wait and watch for more details rather than letting some unsubstantiated finger pointing get the better of me.