ISLAMABAD: An al-Qaeda-linked terrorist training facility was destroyed in a dawn attack by Pakistani helicopter gunships and precision weapons near Khar town. Pakistani army sources said they had information that the structure - a madrassa or Islamic school - was being used as a shelter-cum-training camp by 70 to 80 suspected militants.
By morning, as many as 20 bodies were removed from the rubble while locals continued to look for more. Local pro-Taliban commander Maulvi Liaqat, who ran the madrassa, was very likely among the dead, sources said.
Army sources said the strike was prompted by intelligence reports which said a band of insurgents from Afghanistan had sought sanctuary in the village of Chenagai, just outside Khar. The now bombed madrassa and its compound were being used as a training facility by the miscreants, according to military spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan.
Locals said the attack at 5 a.m. could have killed as many as 83 militants who were housed in the structure. These insurgents had moved here after US-led attacks on Afghanistan forced many Taliban members to flee the country and seek refuge in neighboring Pakistan.
The madrassa's secluded location would have ensured no women or children were killed in the attack.
Khar is located Pakistan's Bajaur district a restive area in the largely tribal frontier region. Many of these tribes openly support the Taliban and al-Qadea. Two days ago, a large number of villagers gathered in Bajaur in a rally shouting slogans supporting Osama bin Laden and Taliban leader Mullah Omar. The Taliban-influenced villagers have been in constant conflict with the authorities in recent years and have threatened to continue their “jihad” or holy war until Islamic law is enforced.
Sultan denied that today's strike was prompted by the rally.
