Thursday, November 29, 2012

Taliban commander Mullah Nazir injured in suicide blast

Taliban commander Mullah Nazir was wounded Thursday in a suicide attack that killed two other people, security officials said.

Nazir is the main warlord affiliated to the Pakistani Taliban in South Waziristan, one of seven districts that make up the semi-autonomous tribal belt considered a base for Al-Qaeda and other militants.

The bomber blew himself up near Nazir's vehicle as it passed through the market in Wana, the main town of the district, the officials said.

Two people were killed and at least five others were wounded, including Nazir, the officials told AFP on condition of anonymity, though accounts differed over the gravity of the warlord's injuries.

"The bomber was a boy aged 13 or 14. Five to seven people were wounded, including Mullah Nazir. His condition is said to be not serious," one of the officials said.

But another official in Wana said Nazir was "seriously wounded" in the attack.

An intelligence official based in the neighbouring district of Tank said there had been a suicide attack and that firing subsequently broke out in the main market of Wana.

"The bazaar is closed now. We're trying to get more information," he said.

Sources in Wana said Nazir, who has survived murder attempts in the past, had fallen out with Uzbek fighters he had expelled from South Waziristan several years ago.

from nation.com.pk
November 29, 2012, 3:31 pm

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from XINHUA

2012-11-29 18:12:20



ISLAMABAD, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- At least four people were killed and 9 others injured in a suicide blast in Pakistan's northwest tribal area of South Waziristan on Thursday, reported local media Geo.

According to the report, the blast took place at about 1:30 p.m. local time when a suicide bomber hit a vehicle carrying a Pakistan Taliban leader at a market area in Wana, capital town of South Waziristan which borders Afghanistan.

The vehicle carrying Mullah Nazir, a Pakistan Taliban commander in Wana area, was completely destroyed in the blast and Mullah was said to be seriously wounded in the leg in the attack.

Firing was heard following the blast, said local media, adding that several shops and vehicles were also destroyed in the blast.

The suicide bomber coming in on a motorbike hit Mullah's vehicle at the Wana main market, local media quoted eyewitnesses as saying.

The identities of the killed are not known at this point.

No group has claimed the responsibility for the attack yet.

Local media said that the attack could be an outcome of the growing confrontation between Mullah Nazir group and other groups of Pakistan Taliban. Mullah Nair is also said to be at odds with Uzbek militants.

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