Pakistan to strike militant stronghold in Wazirstan

Rezaul H Laskar

Islamabad, Oct 9 (PTI) Hours after a suspected Taliban
suicide bomber detonated his vehicle in Peshawar killing 49
people, Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Friday
said the government had "no option" but to strike back on the
militant stronghold of South Wazirstan.

"We have no other option but to carry out an operation in
south Wazirstan," the Interior Minister told a private
television channel after the attack.

In an another major development, Malik announced
Pakistani investigators have arrested the handler of the
suicide bomber who struck the office of the UN food agency in
the federal capital earlier this week, killing 5 people.

"The main handler has been arrested and we have
information about who planned the attack and gave the
instructions," Malik told reporters outside the Parliament.

Elaborating on the new offencive, Malik said "All routes
led to South Wazirstan. We will have to proceed."

He is the first civilian leader to give a pointer that a
massive security force campaign is in the offing in Wazirstan
which could take off any moment.

Pakistan army has massed troops and armour around South
Wazirstan and enforced a total blockade of the region for the
past couple of months. The military has carried out a number
of air strikes on the region and sent probing expeditionary
army missions. (More) PTI