The Pakistani army announced earlier today “that it had destroyed a religious school used for training militants in the Bajur tribal area, which straddles the border with Afghanistan. The attack killed at least 80 people, the military said, describing them as militants.
The strike started at about 5 a.m. local time, when helicopter gunships fired missiles into the religious school, known as a madrassa, that was run by a local cleric, Maulvi Liaqut, according to military officials. Ground troops then stormed the compound.”
Reportedly, Maulvi Liaqut was killed by the Pakistani army in today’s attack.
More:
General Sultan said that no “high value target� was present during the raid, referring to leaders of Al Qaeda or the Taliban. General Sultan also said that no children or women were present inside the madrassa, and he denied that any American or NATO troops were involved in the raid.
However:
But opposition Islamist parties were quick to denounce the attack and blamed the United States. Qazi Hussain Ahmed, the leader of Jamaat-e-Islami, alleged that innocent children were killed and that the Pakistan Army was covering up for the alleged Americans strike.
[…]
After the attack, helicopters were reported hovering over the area. Telecommunication links were also reported to be suspended, according to local news media.
Pakistan should get rid of its madrassas ASAP. Its ‘students’ are nothing but (future) militants.
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