Pakistani military convoys targeted by bombs, killing 38 in border region

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – A suicide bomber attacked a military convoy near the Afghan border on Saturday, killing at least 24 Pakistani soldiers as thousands of troops deployed to thwart a call for an anti-government holy war.\nThree roadside bombs simultaneously tore into a military convoy elsewhere in the border region early Sunday, killing 14 security personnel and civilians, the army spokesman said.\nThe escalating violence along the frontier, a haven for Pakistani and foreign extremists, follows the government’s bloody attack on Islamabad’s Red Mosque that sparked calls for revenge from radical groups.\nPakistani commandos overran the mosque Wednesday, ending an eight-day siege with a hard-line cleric and his militant supporters. More than 100 died during the standoff.\nWith Sunday’s attack, at least 67 people have been killed in bombings and shootings in the north since the Red Mosque crisis began July 3.\nTwenty-nine troops were wounded in Saturday’s attack in North Waziristan, one of the deadliest suicide bombings in Pakistan in recent months, said Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Waheed Arshad.\nAlthough no one claimed responsibility, Arshad said he could not rule out the possibility that it was a reaction to the assault on the mosque.\nOn Sunday, a convoy of army and paramilitary troops was attacked in Swat, a mountainous area of North West Frontier Province bordering Afghanistan, police officer Humayun Khan said.\nTroops opened fire after the attack and a gun battle was continuing, he said.\nArshad said in Islamabad that 29 soldiers also were wounded as the explosions destroyed two army vehicles and a bus carrying troops in the long convoy. He had no details on four civilians who were among the dead.\nSome reports from the area said a suicide bomber was involved in the attack.\nOne intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity since he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the convoy was hit by a suicide bomber and two roadside bombs, giving the death toll as 15.\nMilitary officials said Saturday that Pakistan has dispatched thousands of troops to the northwestern frontier to pressure outlawed Islamic militants preparing to launch a holy war against the government for its bloody attack on Islamabad’s Red Mosque.\n“With help from local tribal elders, we are trying to ensure that militants lay down their arms and stop issuing calls for jihad against the government,” a senior military official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.\nElsewhere in the northwest Saturday, suspected militants detonated a bomb that struck a vehicle carrying soldiers in the town of Bannu, wounding two, said area police official Mohammed Khan. Two rockets also were fired at a military checkpoint. No casualties were reported.\nIn the northwest’s largest city, Peshawar, two 11-pound anti-tank mines attached to a timing device and battery were found in a car downtown. The car was parked in front of military-affiliated Askari Bank when a small explosion and fire in the vehicle alerted authorities.\nArshad said reinforcements had been sent to the northwest to beef up some 90,000 troops already in the region. Officials say the fresh troops have moved into at least five areas.\nNo new troops were sent to North Waziristan, but a spokesman for militants demanded that all existing checkpoints be removed there by Sunday.\nAbdullah Farhad, who claims to speak for pro-Taliban militants, told The Associated Press the checkpoints violated a 2006 peace accord between the government and tribal elders.\nThe peace deal is still in effect, but militants have again started attacking government forces in the region. The government has targeted some militant hideouts.