Hundreds killed in Pakistan clashes

PESHAWAR, Pakistan – Up to 250 people, including at least 45 soldiers, have been killed in fierce fighting in northwestern Pakistan over the past four days, with Pakistani military jets bombing suspected insurgent hide-outs amid tough resistance, officials and residents said Tuesday.

The military said that at least 150 insurgents had been killed in the battles in North Waziristan, a remote tribal region that al-Qaida and Taliban fighters have used as a base for operations.

The most intense clashes have come in the town of Mir Ali, where the military has deployed heavy artillery, helicopter gunships and fighter jets to try to oust insurgents who have been waging an aggressive campaign against the Pakistani army. The use of fighter jets is unusual, but government officials said it was necessary given the strength of the firepower they were facing from the insurgents.

“The resistance from local Taliban is tougher than what the government usually expects,” conceded a tribal affairs official in Peshawar, the capital of North-West Frontier province. “Such tough resistance also gives credence to speculation that al-Qaida-trained foreign fighters might be backing these local Taliban.”

The fighting, which began late Saturday with an insurgent strike on a military convoy, has taken a heavy toll on civilians. There were reports Tuesday of large numbers of casualties among residents caught in the cross-fire. Civilians in some villagers used mosque loudspeakers to appeal to both sides not to target homes or shopping areas.

Meanwhile, a full-scale exodus was under way for those who were able to leave.

Mohammad Zarin, 33, made it from Mir Ali to the nearby town of Bannu on Tuesday with his mother, wife, three children, sister-in-law, three nephews and two nieces.

“It was a hard decision to leave our home in Mir Ali. But life is more precious than material things,” Zarin said by phone. “We decided to leave our home for the sake of our children.”

Zarin said his older brother had stayed behind to look after the family’s home.

“The first priority of every family is to take their women and children to a safer place, and leave one person at home to take care of the household,” he said.

Military officials conceded the heavy fighting may have resulted in civilian casualties, though they would not give specifics.