16 die in Pakistan border clashes

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN // Pakistani security forces killed at least 16 suspected militants and wounded 25 others today in a besieged tribal region - the latest round of a military offensive with no end in sight, officials said. More than 100 people, most of them militants, have been reported killed in the fighting in the Bajur tribal area in the past five days. The region, which borders Afghanistan, is a suspected hide-out of al Qa'eda leader Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri. The latest clashes also come amid tension between the US and Pakistan over American incursions aimed at eradicating militants in the Muslim nation's territory. Security forces used helicopter gunships, fighter jets and heavy artillery to attack suspected militant positions today in the Loi Sam, Rashakai, Tang Khata and Gollokass areas of Bajur, said Iqbal Khattak, a government official who provided the death and wounded tolls. The government said late last month that it would cease military operations in Bajur for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, but reserved the right to retaliate against insurgent activities.

The Army spokesman Maj Gen. Athar Abbas said factors including persistent militant mortar attacks and threats to pro-government tribes prompted the military to restart its operation. "It may take long, but this issue has to be resolved once and for all," Mr Abbas said. "It may take a long time. We cannot just hand over this area to the Taliban." Hundreds of militants were reported killed in Bajur in August in the military offensive, which also was said to have displaced some 300,000 people. The figures have been difficult to confirm independently because of the remote and dangerous nature of the areas involved. US officials are worried that Pakistan has not done enough to flush out militants from its tribal areas, and that its intelligence agencies might even be secretly aiding insurgents. Al Qa'eda and Taliban militants are believed to have found safe havens in the tribal areas from which to plan attacks on US and Nato forces across the border in Afghanistan.

A series of suspected US missile strikes and an American-led ground assault in Pakistani territory in recent days, however, have stirred anger and prompted Pakistan's government to lodge protests. Although Pakistan has vowed to defend its territorial integrity and publicly denounced the US incursions, top officials have indicated they would prefer to resolve the conflict through diplomatic means. The Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, who is visiting Britain, was expected to discuss the cross-border strikes with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown this week.

A Sunday press release from Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's office said he and Mr Zardari spoke the previous night via phone and agreed that "the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country should be respected at all cost".

* AP

Previous men's records

2:01:39: Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) on 16/9/19 in Berlin
2:02:57: Dennis Kimetto (KEN) on 28/09/2014 in Berlin
2:03:23: Wilson Kipsang (KEN) on 29/09/2013 in Berlin
2:03:38: Patrick Makau (KEN) on 25/09/2011 in Berlin
2:03:59: Haile Gebreselassie (ETH) on 28/09/2008 in Berlin
2:04:26: Haile Gebreselassie (ETH) on 30/09/2007 in Berlin
2:04:55: Paul Tergat (KEN) on 28/09/2003 in Berlin
2:05:38: Khalid Khannouchi (USA) 14/04/2002 in London
2:05:42: Khalid Khannouchi (USA) 24/10/1999 in Chicago
2:06:05: Ronaldo da Costa (BRA) 20/09/1998 in Berlin

Tips for taking the metro

- set out well ahead of time

- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines

- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on

- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers

German intelligence warnings

2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

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"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

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Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)

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