2007年VOA标准英语-Violence Continues to Spread in Pakistan; Musha
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By Benjamin SandIslamabad
18 July 2007
Militants1 in northwestern Pakistan have ambushed2 a security convoy3 and killed at least 17 soldiers - less than a day after a suicide bomber4 killed 16 people in Islamabad. Despite the spreading unrest, Pakistan's President General Pervez Musharraf has declined to declare a state of emergency. VOA'S Benjamin Sand reports from the Pakistani capital.
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| Pakistani tribesmen gather around a destroyed paramilitary check post after a blast in Miranshah, the main town in North Waziristan, 17 Jul 2007 |
The tribal area is considered a major stronghold for pro-Taleban and al-Qaida militants.
Arshad says the firefight killed 10 soldiers on the spot. He says the militants also suffered heavy casualties, but removed their dead before government forces could investigate.
| Police cordon off the area of a suicide attack in Islamabad, Pakistan, 17 July 2007 |
The surging violence follows a controversial government raid last week on a radical8, pro-Taleban mosque9 in Islamabad. At least 75 people were killed after commandos stormed the complex and fought pitched battles with heavily armed militants inside.
The bloodshed has intensified10 the political pressure on Pakistan's already-embattled president, General Pervez Musharraf.
Tuesday's bombing here in Islamabad was apparently11 aimed at political activists12 waiting to hear a speech by the country's former chief justice, Iftikhar Chaudhry.
Mr. Musharraf suspended the judge on March 9. The firing has galvanized anti-government sentiment, and Chaudhry has been traveling around the country giving speeches critical of the president.
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| Pervez Musharraf (file photo) |
The head of Pakistan's crisis management office, Brigadier Javed Iqbal Cheema, told reporters Tuesday evening that the government has no intention of backing down.
"The government is doing all it can to prevent such nefarious15 acts by the terrorists," he said. "We expect the entire nation to extend its full cooperation to the law enforcement agencies in dealing16 with this threat."
Despite the rising violence, Mr. Musharraf reportedly ruled out declaring a state of emergency Wednesday. The president, who seized power in a military coup17 in 1999, faces national elections later this year, and he was quoted as saying the elections will be held on time.
U.S. officials say Washington will continue to back Mr. Musharraf's fight against extremist elements.
The United States recently announced plans to invest more than $750 million in health, education and economic projects in the tribal areas where much of the violence is taking place.
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