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Civilians killed in military strike

Associated Press
October 10, 2007

A Pakistani child was consoled by a relative at a hospital yesterday after being wounded near the Afghanistan border, where fighting between government forces and insurgents has killed at least 250 persons, making the clashes the deadliest since President Pervez Musharraf began coop-erating in the U.S.-led war on terror in 2001.

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MIRAN SHAH, Pakistan — Pakistani aircraft bombed a village bazaar packed with shoppers near the Afghan border yesterday, pushing the death toll to 250 in four days of fighting — the deadliest clashes since Pakistan extended its support to the U.S.-led war on terror in 2001.

The attack on Epi village in North Waziristan tribal region killed dozens of militants and civilians — deaths that are likely to harden domestic opposition to President Pervez Musharraf's alliance with Washington.

The bazaar was crowded with people buying food to break their daylong Ramadan fast when it was rocked by a dozen explosions that destroyed shops and nearby homes, residents said. Abdul Sattar, a grocery shop owner, said he counted more than 60 people dead and more than 150 wounded, including many civilians. Many of the victims were mutilated.

"Some did not have heads, hands or legs. Some people were searching for their children and women," Mr. Sattar said by telephone from Epi.

Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Waheed Arshad said military aircraft targeting militant hide-outs struck "one or two places" near the town of Mir Ali — located about 2½ miles from Epi — and local tribesmen reported about 50 militants were killed.

Gen. Arshad said the air strikes might have killed some civilians who were living in the areas where militant hide-outs were targeted, but he had no exact numbers.

"We had confirmed reports about the presence of militants, and the air power was used to target those militant hide-outs," he said.

Another resident, Noor Hassan, said both militants and civilians were killed and that he was fleeing the area. He said the nearby village of Hader Khel also was bombed.

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