KHARTOUM, Kurrent News: Seven Pakistani peacekeepers were wounded, two of them seriously, in an ambush on Tuesday in Sudan’s war-torn region of Darfur, the joint African Union-United Nations mission and local sources said.
“An ambush took place near the displaced persons camp in El Shereif, around 20 kilometres from Nyala,” the capital of South Darfur state and the most important town in the region, said UNAMID spokesman Noureddine Mezni.
The peacekeepers were in a convoy of four vehicles when they were attacked by unknown assailants, he said. “Seven police were wounded, two of them seriously,” Mezni said.
However, a local source said the wounded were Pakistanis, which would make the first time soldiers from Pakistan have been ambushed in Darfur.
Acts of banditry -- including the theft of vehicles at gunpoint — are common occurrences in Darfur.
The United Nations says up to 300,000 people have died and 2.7 million fled their homes since the ethnic minority rebels in Darfur first rose up against the Arab-dominated Sudan government in Feb 2003.—AFP
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Snow and rain wreak havoc, kill 11 in NWFP
PESHAWAR, Kurrent News: Eleven persons were killed and several others injured while dozens of houses and buildings collapsed as heavy snowfall and rains wreaked havoc in upper parts of Frontier province.
The districts of Chitral, Lower and Upper Dir, Swat, and Shangla were disconnected from the rest of the country. The link-roads in these areas were covered with snow or damaged by avalanches and landslide.
The record snowfall also disrupted power and telephone connections in the areas.
The anti-polio campaign was postponed till further orders in Lower and Upper Dir, Bajaur, Swat and Shangla. The local administrations in the affected districts ordered closure of educational institutions for one week. Sources said that at least seven persons were killed when a snow avalanche hit them near the entrance of Lowari tunnel on Chitral side on Tuesday.
Chitral DCO Rahmatullah Wazir told Dawn that three of the victims were workers of the Korean construction company, Sambu. They were identified as Mumtaz Khan from Chitral, Farman Ali from Mardan and Shuaib from Punjab.
The remaining four were employees of a nearby hotel belonging to Upper Dir district. They were identified as Israrud Din, Mohammad Din, Hussain Ahmed and Inayatur Rahman.
The bodies of Sambu company workers were recovered while search was underway to locate the other victims.
Mr Wazir said that more avalanches were reportedly hitting the area intermittently, making the search work difficult and perilous. He said that more rescue teams would be sent to the place of incident to accelerate search work.
Some people present on the site of incidence feared the death toll might rise as more bodies could be found under the avalanche.
The tunnel remained closed for vehicular traffic on Tuesday for the third consecutive day cutting Chitral district from the rest of the country. The roof of a house collapsed in Rahimabad village of Lower Dir, killing four inmates, who were asleep in two separate rooms. They were identified as Hazrat Hakeem his wife, his brother Hazrat Abdur Rashid and his sister-in-law. The children asleep in the third room received minor wounds.
A Pesco official told Dawn that 52 HT lines poles and 70 LT lines poles were uprooted in Lower and Upper Dir, plunging both the districts into darkness. The official said restoration of power could take four to five days.
Several people were injured as a girls school, a dispensary, a factory and several houses collapsed due to heavy snowfall in different areas of Swat valley.
Residents said that in Osho and its surrounding areas a girls school, a dispensary and eight shops collapsed due to snowfall. Six persons were injured when snow hit five houses in Basar and Bew villages.
The Kalam-Mingora road was closed on the thirteenth consecutive day. The mercury has dropped to minus 12 degree Celsius in Kalam. Several houses collapsed in Mingora city and its surroundings.
The electricity, gas and telephone lines remained disconnected in Mingora and other areas of the district. “The repair work has been initiated but it may take time,” officials said. The attendance in government office also remained thin and businesses centres were closed.
The tented school in Nawi Kallay and Silk Mills building on Bamakhela road near Mingora also collapsed.
Heavy snowfall also paralysed life in Shangla district where power and telephone system was yet to be restored.
The districts of Chitral, Lower and Upper Dir, Swat, and Shangla were disconnected from the rest of the country. The link-roads in these areas were covered with snow or damaged by avalanches and landslide.
The record snowfall also disrupted power and telephone connections in the areas.
The anti-polio campaign was postponed till further orders in Lower and Upper Dir, Bajaur, Swat and Shangla. The local administrations in the affected districts ordered closure of educational institutions for one week. Sources said that at least seven persons were killed when a snow avalanche hit them near the entrance of Lowari tunnel on Chitral side on Tuesday.
Chitral DCO Rahmatullah Wazir told Dawn that three of the victims were workers of the Korean construction company, Sambu. They were identified as Mumtaz Khan from Chitral, Farman Ali from Mardan and Shuaib from Punjab.
The remaining four were employees of a nearby hotel belonging to Upper Dir district. They were identified as Israrud Din, Mohammad Din, Hussain Ahmed and Inayatur Rahman.
The bodies of Sambu company workers were recovered while search was underway to locate the other victims.
Mr Wazir said that more avalanches were reportedly hitting the area intermittently, making the search work difficult and perilous. He said that more rescue teams would be sent to the place of incident to accelerate search work.
Some people present on the site of incidence feared the death toll might rise as more bodies could be found under the avalanche.
The tunnel remained closed for vehicular traffic on Tuesday for the third consecutive day cutting Chitral district from the rest of the country. The roof of a house collapsed in Rahimabad village of Lower Dir, killing four inmates, who were asleep in two separate rooms. They were identified as Hazrat Hakeem his wife, his brother Hazrat Abdur Rashid and his sister-in-law. The children asleep in the third room received minor wounds.
A Pesco official told Dawn that 52 HT lines poles and 70 LT lines poles were uprooted in Lower and Upper Dir, plunging both the districts into darkness. The official said restoration of power could take four to five days.
Several people were injured as a girls school, a dispensary, a factory and several houses collapsed due to heavy snowfall in different areas of Swat valley.
Residents said that in Osho and its surrounding areas a girls school, a dispensary and eight shops collapsed due to snowfall. Six persons were injured when snow hit five houses in Basar and Bew villages.
The Kalam-Mingora road was closed on the thirteenth consecutive day. The mercury has dropped to minus 12 degree Celsius in Kalam. Several houses collapsed in Mingora city and its surroundings.
The electricity, gas and telephone lines remained disconnected in Mingora and other areas of the district. “The repair work has been initiated but it may take time,” officials said. The attendance in government office also remained thin and businesses centres were closed.
The tented school in Nawi Kallay and Silk Mills building on Bamakhela road near Mingora also collapsed.
Heavy snowfall also paralysed life in Shangla district where power and telephone system was yet to be restored.
Three killed in drone missile strike in N. Waziristan
MIRANSHAH, Kurrent News: A US drone aircraft fired a missile into Pakistan's North Waziristan region on the Afghan border on Wednesday, killing at least three militants, Pakistani intelligence officials said.
The drone targeted a militant compound in the village of Tapi, about 15 km (9 miles) east of Miranshah, the main town in the region, which is a hotbed of Taliban and al Qaeda militants. It was the second attack on the village this week.—Reuters
The drone targeted a militant compound in the village of Tapi, about 15 km (9 miles) east of Miranshah, the main town in the region, which is a hotbed of Taliban and al Qaeda militants. It was the second attack on the village this week.—Reuters
Three injured in explosion in Mohmand Agency
PESHAWAR,Kurrent News: Three people have been injured in an explosion in Khozai area of Mohmand Agency on Wednesday.
The explosion occured during the distribution of ration by khasadar forces.
The explosion occured during the distribution of ration by khasadar forces.
Nato airstrike kills group of Afghan insurgents
KABUL, Kurrent News: Nato forces say an airstrike in eastern Afghanistan has killed more than a dozen insurgents near the Pakistani border, reports AP.
The military coalition said Wednesday that a Nato patrol saw a group of individuals near the border on Tuesday and identified them as insurgents.
The soldiers called in air support and precision-guided munitions were dropped on the location, killing more than a dozen insurgents.
Nato did not disclose the specific location of the airstrike, but it was not related the massive military offensive under way around the town of Marjah in southern Afghanistan.
The military coalition said Wednesday that a Nato patrol saw a group of individuals near the border on Tuesday and identified them as insurgents.
The soldiers called in air support and precision-guided munitions were dropped on the location, killing more than a dozen insurgents.
Nato did not disclose the specific location of the airstrike, but it was not related the massive military offensive under way around the town of Marjah in southern Afghanistan.
Bus plunges into river in India, kills 22
LUCKNOW, Kurrent News: A bus crowded with people returning home from a wedding party fell into a river in northern India, killing at least 22, police said.
Brij Lal, additional director general of state police, says 40 other people were injured in the accident early Wednesday in Jalaun district of Uttar Pradesh state. The bride and the bridegroom were travelling separately in a car, he said.
The official said the driver apparently lost control of the vehicle, which crashed against the bridge railing and plunged into the river. The driver was among the dead.
Accidents occur frequently on roads in India and are often blamed on reckless driving, aging vehicles and overloading.
Brij Lal, additional director general of state police, says 40 other people were injured in the accident early Wednesday in Jalaun district of Uttar Pradesh state. The bride and the bridegroom were travelling separately in a car, he said.
The official said the driver apparently lost control of the vehicle, which crashed against the bridge railing and plunged into the river. The driver was among the dead.
Accidents occur frequently on roads in India and are often blamed on reckless driving, aging vehicles and overloading.
Court rejects bail plea of American terror suspects
LAHORE, Kurrent News: The Anti-Terrorist Court in Sargodha Wednesday rejected the bail plea of the five US nationals arrested on the allegations of having links with banned militant outfits, DawnNews reported.
The suspects were arrested from Sargodha in November 2009 for allegedly plotting terror attacks inside Pakistan.
An FBI team interrogated them before handing them over to a joint investigation team in Lahore.
Their case was being heard by the Anti-Terrorist Court in Sargodha.
The suspects were arrested from Sargodha in November 2009 for allegedly plotting terror attacks inside Pakistan.
An FBI team interrogated them before handing them over to a joint investigation team in Lahore.
Their case was being heard by the Anti-Terrorist Court in Sargodha.
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