Troops backed by helicopters target militant hideouts скачать в хорошем качестве

Troops backed by helicopters target militant hideouts

(25 Jan 2008) SHOTLIST 1. Various of Pakistan Army convoy patrolling on road in Dara Adam Khel 2. Various of families leaving area 3. Girl with bundle on her head 4. People walking past tank 5. SOUNDBITE: (Pashto) Saleem Khan, businessman: "I am running my coal business here (Dara Adam Khel), now the fight started here and the government told us to evacuate the area." 6. People on truck with their belongings 7. SOUNDBITE: (Pashto) Saleem Khan, businessman: "The fight started in the morning, around 8 or 9, and Taliban are in control in Dara Barzar." 8. Various of road block by Pakistani security forces 9. Wide of Frontier corps (FC) soldiers firing from anti-aircraft gun towards Taliban positions, AUDIO of firing 10. Wide of smoke bellowing from hills where militants are hiding 11. SOUNDBITE: (Pashto) Jhangeer Khan, resident of Dara Adam Khel: "We are very much in trouble. Security forces are firing from gunship helicopters and it hits our houses and it can hit our kids and family members too." 12. Jhangeer Khan showing bullet case that hit his house 13. SOUNDBITE: (Pashto) Jhangeer Khan, resident of Dara Adam Khel:++ROUGH TRANSLATION++ "I cannot say anything about the total number of wounded people but there are....6 to 7 Taliban fighters were killed." 14. Wide of Pakistan soldiers on top of hill 15. Mid of closed shops near Dara Barzar 16. People on vehicle leaving area STORYLINE Helicopter gunships and artillery pounded hide-outs of Taliban militants on the Pakistan border who had hijacked ammunition supply trucks, killing up to 30 suspected rebels as fighting spread Friday in Pakistan's volatile borderlands, the army said. Two paramilitary troops were killed and 10 wounded in the clashes around Dara Adam Khel, a town on a key strategic route linking Pakistan's northwestern frontier with the rest of the country. It has come under the sway of religious extremists in the past year. Friday's violence follows recent intense fighting in South Waziristan, a lawless region to the south regarded as a stronghold for Taliban and al-Qaida. In the past two weeks, militants have stepped up attacks on Pakistani security forces. Hundreds of fighters have launched assaults on remote military forts, drawing comparisons with Taliban tactics against NATO forces in southern Afghanistan. Saleem Khan, a local businessman told AP Television that the government told them to evacuate the area. Jhangeer Khan, resident of Dara Adam Khel said that he was worried because the gunship helicopters hit his house. "We are very much in trouble. Security forces are firing from gunship helicopters and it hits our houses and it can hit our kids and family members too." The military statement also said the operation was launched when the militants refused to return the supplies, ignoring a request from tribal elders and a warning issued by the authorities. The statement said government troops had cleared "important heights" in the area around Dara Adam Khel, 210 kilometres (125 miles) northwest of Islamabad. The Pakistan military claims 34 soldiers and 255 militants have died since Jan. 14, mostly in South Waziristan where it has deployed infantry, aircraft and tanks in a drive to clear the lawless, mountainous area of insurgents. Militants have disputed the casualty figures, which are difficult to verify independently in an insecure region where reporters have little access. A spokesman for Tehrik-e-Taliban - a militant coalition led by Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud - dismissed the latest claim of 30 militant dead in Dara Adam Khel, saying only a few of its fighters were wounded. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...