US Drone Attack Strikes Militant Training Camp near Afghan Border
08 June 2011
US missiles struck a militant training camp in Pakistan's tribal district of North Waziristan on Wednesday, killing 20 fighters close to the Afghan border, security officials said. The camp in the Shawal area was run by fighters loyal to Pakistani warlord Hafiz Gul Bahadur, whose loyalists attack in Afghanistan, and was targeted by five US missiles at around 12.00pm (0700 GMT), the Pakistani officials said. "The death toll is 20. It is likely to...
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Tribal Militias Seek Official Support to Fight Taliban but Face Skepticism
08 June 2011
When hundreds of militants began pouring across the Afghan border into his district of Upper Dir last week, tribal elder Haji Malak Mutabar Khan gathered a few dozen neighbors, piled everyone into jeeps, and raced off to fight them. Mr. Khan’s group of minutemen – known in Pakistan as a lashkar – held down the Taliban as more locals emerged to help. The next day, the Pakistan Army arrived and routed the militants back into Afghanistan....
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Selling Children to Pay Off a Debt: Report
08 June 2011
Muhammad Ahsan gave his son away to his employer, a brick-kiln owner, after failing to pay back money he had earlier borrowed, but feels embarrassed that the boy has ended up working as a domestic helper in the latter’s home in Lahore. “I owed him Rs.100,000 [US$1,176] I had borrowed and couldn’t afford to pay back,” Ahsan said. “He agreed to write off the amount if I `gave’ him my 10-year-old son, Sajjad, to work...
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