ISLAMABAD: Seven years after 9/11, al Qaida and its allies are gaining ground across the region where the plot was hatched, staging their most lethal attacks yet against NATO forces and posing a growing threat to the U.S.-backed governments in Afghanistan and nuclear-armed Pakistan . While there have been no new strikes on the U.S. homeland, the Islamic insurrection inspired by Osama bin Laden has claimed thousands of casualties and displaced tens of thousands of people and shows no sign of slackening in the face of history’’s most powerful military alliance.The insurgency now stretches from Afghanistan’’s border with Iran through the southern half of the country. The Taliban now are able to interdict three of the four major highways that connect Kabul , the capital, to the rest of the country.”I am not convinced we are winning it in Afghanistan ,” Adm. Michael Mullen , the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, conceded before a congressional committee on Tuesday.Experts inside and outside the U.S. government agreed that a key reason for the resurgence is a growing popular sympathy for the militants because an over-reliance on the use of force, especially airpower, by NATO has killed hundreds of civilians.
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ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said that a Pak-afghan mini jirga would be organized in Islamabad after Eid ul fitr. He also hailed Pak army chief statement and says that the army chief has reiterated the Government’’s stance. This he spoke while talking to the journalists after the Iftar party organized in Foreign office. He said that he had a thorough discussion with his Afghan counterpart, Dafur Spanta on the phone and would meet him also during the UN General Assembly meeting.Strategies would be discussed to further strengthen relations and communication between the two countries.He said that the Regional Economic Coordination Conference would be held at Islamabad in last week of November. He said that a meeting would be called in Kabul on Mutual Economic relations, in which plans will be discussed to further boost economic cooperation between the two countries.He said that the advisor on National Security Mehmood Ali Durrani will soon visit Afghanistan to discuss relations between the two countries.He also said that the both countries advisor on National Security would further speed up communications. He said that the Army Chief’’s statement reflected Government policy and nothing new in it.
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Pakistan News
The two-day Corps Commanders conference, which began on Thursday at the General Headquarters, would continue in Rawalpindi on Friday.Army Chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani is presiding over the all-important conference. All Corps Commanders, Principal Staff Officers and Formation Commanders are attending the conference.Pakistan’’s military commanders would chalk out new strategy for defending the country’’s borders against the backdrop of the growing threats on western borders and new strategic developments taking place in the region. The Pakistan Army has been ordered to retaliate against any action by foreign troops inside the country, ISPR spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas said on Thursday after the close of first day.
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ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Thursday said President Asif Ali Zardari has talked to all the political leaders on the Kashmir issue and decided to set up a Parliamentary Caucus to build national consensus and comprehensive strategy to resolve the issue.Talking to newsmen at an Iftar-dinner hosted by him at the Foreign Office, he said the government is sincere to resolve the Kashmir issue through a comprehensive strategy and with the support of all the political leadership in the country. Referring to the statement of Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, the Foreign Minister said it was truly reflective of the policy of the government. The minister, while referring to his comprehensive statement in the National Assembly to condemn the attack in the FATA areas by the foreign forces, said he explained and highlighted all the details, which were reiterated by the COAS in his statement today.
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PESHAWAR: Security forces operation against militants continued in tribal region of Darra Adamkhel.In Darra Adamkhel, security forces pound militant positions however no loss of life was reported.Also, drones made flights in the area. Militants blew up a bridge with explosives near Abbas chowk overnight.Meanwhile, experts under the surveillance of security forces survey the destroyed bridges to open the Indus Highway, which is closed since fifteen days.People facing severe problems because of closure of Kohat tunnel and Indus highway.
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KARACHI: A young man was killed and another person injured when a car hit them at Tipu Sultan Road here.According to hospital sources, an over speeding car hit a motor bike at Tipu Sultan area killing Abu Bakar, 20 and injuring Muhammad Daniyal, 22. Both are resident of Manzoor Colony. The body and injured were shifted to Jinnah Hospital.
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PESHAWAR: Eight militants were killed Thursday when government troops pounded their hideouts in Pakistan’’s restive northwestern Swat valley, the military said. Six of the rebels died when helicopter gunship fired missiles in the Ningolai Kabal area, hitting the home of local militant commander Khurshid Shah. “Six militants were killed and three injured in a missile attack fired by helicopter gunships in Swat,” military spokesman Nadeem Anwar said, adding that Shah and his two sons comprised were the three people hurt in the strike. In a separate incident, in the Sher Palam area of Swat, two rebels were killed in clashes between security forces and militants. “The bodies of those two have been handed over to the local elders,” Anwar said, adding that rifles, grenades and radio sets had been recovered in the area.
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ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday performed the ground-breaking ceremony of the Zero Point Interchange to provide signal-free flow of traffic. Gilani unveiled the plaque and performed the ground-breaking ceremony of the project.
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DUBAI: The ICC awards were announced on Wednesday here, which the Asian players made off with in majority.Sri Lanka’’s Ajantha Mendis pipped Ishant Sharma of India to win the ICC Emerging Player of the Year award. Yuvraj Singh of India won the ICC Twenty20 International Performance of the Year Award. Both Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni were included in the 12-man ICC World ODI Team of the Year with Australian Ricky Ponting as captain. Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the ICC ODI Player of the Year 2008. The Sri Lankan team won the ICC Spirit of Cricket award for the second year in a row. Ryan ten Doeschate of the Netherlands won the ICC Associate Player of the Year award. ICC Umpire of the year was awarded to Australia’’s Simon Taufel who won it for the fifth straight time.
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KARRACHI: Flourmills raised flour prices by Rs100 per 80 kilograms bag on the pretext of escalating prices of wheat in local grain market on Thursday.
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