Air Strike On Terror Camp In Pakistan Kills Eighty

Missiles fired from Pakistani helicopters destroyed a school on the Afghan border. The Military said the school was a front for an Al-Qaida training camp. Eighty people were killed. The U.S. and Pakistani military have denied U.S involvement. Among those killed was a cleric who had sheltered militants in the past. The school was three kilometers from the Afghan border. Musharraf has been under pressure to rein in militant groups along the the border, mostly from the U.S. and Afghanistan.



My first thought when I read this was I was a bit taken aback to read that the attack was done by Pakistan military. I then wondered if this was a shift in the policy of Pakistan. I had read in the past the Pakistan government has little control in that reign of there country. But then the news story does say that the Pakistan government has been under presser to stop the militants in that part of there country. So I must also think that this is just a one time action. Either way it sounds as if many militants were killed and at least one leader. So knowing were they is a problem that can be dealt with, taking action is the problem that may not be dealt with in the future.

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[edit on 2006-10-31 by wecomeinpeace]

I doubt america had much to do with it. Pakistan isnt a country thats bullied by countries like the US. Chances are they saw the oppertunity and took it. They suffer from terrorism just as much as the next country, probably more because the location. Bush made some comments about using troops in pakistan if they didn't start acting up and Pakistan publically responded with "No you wont" blunt and strong. I think the new attack on terrorists was motivated by stopping attacks within their own country.

[edit on 31-10-2006 by grimreaper797]

Well, why did nobody mention how many children were killed?

Mass funerals

In Islamabad, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, an opposition political leader, also blamed the US for the attack and said claims that the madrasa was a terrorist training centre were "rubbish".

Thirty children were among the dead, he claimed.

"It was an American plane behind the attack and Pakistan is taking responsibility because they know there would be a civil war if the American responsibility was known," Ahmed, leader of a six-party religious alliance opposed to Musharraf, said.

And what's up with this, that the American Plane was behind the attack, adn that Pakistan isjust taking "Responsibility" for the attack?

Interesting.

So who were these 80 "Militants"?

Pakistanis rally after air raid on school

Qazi Hussain Ahmed, a Pakistani political leader, said he would lead a convoy of cars from the northwestern city of Peshawar to Khar and Chingai in protest on Tuesday.

"They killed 80 teenagers who were students of the Quran," Ahmed said. "This is a very cruel joint-activity [between the US and Musharraf governments]."

So - a school is destroyed, bodies are beyond recognition, pieces of Children were found, and Mister Ahmed says, there were 80 teenagers, who were the students of Quran in the school.

Who do we Belive?

Pakistan has a serious problem in these religious radicals in the north, the country itself might become completely unstablized. This school was declared illegal years ago, for supporting terrorists, and they openly support the taliban. Pakistan has every right to destroy it and the people in it.

As far as it being 'wrong', what does that matter anymore? If the US can't act in iraq and afghanistan and elsewhere, then what does it matter if pakistan was wrong? Other than condeming, but doing nothing about the incident, what is there that anyone can do?

Anyway, now that there are protests against this action, the pakistanis should start rounding up and firing on the protestors, as these are clearly people who support the taliban and are a threat to the pakistani government.

[edit on 31-10-2006 by Nygdan]

Interesting news on this situation, just finished reading it...

Sahibzada Haroon, an MP for the Jamaat Islami party, who lives nearby, said he heard two large explosions "so powerful they shook the earth and rattled our doors and windows" early Monday morning. Fifteen minutes later Pakistani army helicopters arrived, fired a handful of rockets and left.

"Those were small thuds - nothing in comparison to the big explosions that preceded them minutes earlier," Mr Haroon told Dawn newspaper. "I have no doubt in my mind that it was done by the Americans and we are now making a futile attempt to cover it up."

Lying in a hospital bed in nearby Peshawar, Abu Bakar, one of just three seminarians to survive the strike, insisted the madrasa was engaged in education and not terrorism. "We had come to learn Allah's religion," said the 22-year-old, whose legs were broken by falling rubble.

Was this perhaps a cover-up? American forces aren't allowed to carry out overt attacks on Pakistani territory, but nothing's stopping them from launching cruise missles or dropping some heavy ordinance and letting the Pakistani army claim responsibility.

I have no idea whether or not the school was harboring terrorists, I just don't know, and I really have no way of knowing. I don't even have enough information to form an educated opinion.

But what does interest me is the possibility that American forces are conducting operations in Pakistan and letting the Pakistanis take credit to avoid a total mess. Pakistan is a powder keg. If it became known that America was striking inside the border...

Whadya think? What's going on over there?

[edit on 1-11-2006 by WyrdeOne]

If the US did the attack, and the pakistani government is covering it up, then...the pakistani government is fine with the US having done it, and heck probably requested it.

Well..yeah.

But the Pakistani government doesn't represent the Pakistani people.

They're essentially holding onto power by a thread. In fact, I'm amazed they've held out this long against the tide of radicalism and anti-western sentiment.

They must get different news than we do.

Every day over here there's something about Pakistan cooperating with us.

They can't possibly be getting the same news...

If they were, I suspect there would be government officials hanging by noon the next day.

Anyway, I'm curious if there's any other evidence to support the theory of a cover-up. I know for a fact that Pakistan has jets, so it's entirely possible they were the ones who dropped the ordinance. It would seem to be a pretty standard tactic, to soften up the site before sending in helicopters, which are much more vulnerable than jets.

I don't see any evidence that necessarily means the US was involved, I was just interested in the theory. Two booms does not a case make.