UN chief condemns Kabul killings

N Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has condemned as "shocking and shameless" a Taliban raid which killed at least five UN workers in the Afghan capital Kabul.
But Mr Ban said the UN would not be deterred from its mission there.
Three Afghans also died when suicide bombers stormed a UN guesthouse in the city. The three attackers were killed in a long battle with security forces.
The Taliban said the attack was the first step in its bid to disrupt next week's presidential run-off election.
In a separate attack, rockets were fired at the city's five-star Serena Hotel, but no-one was injured.

25 more extremists killed: ISPR

SLAMABAD: Pakistani troops massed outside a key Taliban base and killed 25 militants, fighting back in a major tribal belt offensive after a devastating market bomb attack, the military said Wednesday.

The latest death toll brings to 264 the total number of insurgents reported to have been killed since the operation was launched in the rugged tribal terrain of South Waziristan on October 17.

No information provided by the army can be verified, however, as communication lines are down and access to the area on the wild Afghan border is banned to journalists and aid workers.

"Security forces have surrounded Kanigurram from three sides," military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told a news conference.

The town was considered the "operational centre" of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), he said. It was a major terror stronghold and an important base for Uzbek fighters in the area, he added.

Abbas also said troops were within four kilometres (2.5 miles) of another major Taliban hub, Sararogha, which lies to the east.

The military spokesman condemned Wednesday's carnage in the northwestern city of Peshawar where a bomb killed 92 people in a crowded market frequented mostly by women. "This cowardly act shows their desperation," he said.

Despite the attack, which was apparently calculated to exact maximum casualties, Abbas insisted the militants were on the defensive as troops were making steady gains into TTP territory.

"Their leadership is on the run," he said, claiming that 25 training centres and nine caves had been recently destroyed.

Around 30,000 troops are taking part in the offensive against an estimated 10-12,000 militants in the semi-autonomous and lawless tribal belt. Relief workers say more than 200,000 people have been displaced by the fighting.

Numerous previous offensives in the tribal belt have had limited success, costing the lives of 2,000 troops and ending generally with peace agreements that critics say gave the insurgents a chance to re-arm.

Clinton Pak visit not vital: Elahi

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi Wednesday said the meeting between the two big personalities were held to please US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and was meant to give message that they have turned into ‘tame kids’.

Talking to media after offering condolences to former Cricket team captain Wasim Akram on the demise of his wife, he said he sees no importance for Hillary Clinton’s Pakistan visit.

Condemning the Peshawar blast which claimed over 85 lives, he said it is inefficient of the rulers that schools have to be closed down today.

Peshawar blast toll mounts to 94

PESHAWAR: The total death toll from Peshawar blast has mounted to 90 while rescue sources say that more people could still be buried under the debris. Over 150 people sustained injuries in the blast.

Hospital sources have confirmed that 160 were brought there, and a list of 136 of these injured has been made visible inside the hospital premises.

According to details, the powerful blast occurred at Peepal Mandi ripped near Meena Bazar, Peshawar. The explosion triggered fire in nearby shops while an old building came to ground with the heavy impact which also caused damage to other surrounding buildings.

Most of the buildings in the area had already been declared to be in poor condition.

AIG Bomb Disposal Unit Shafqatullah Malik said that explosives, weighing 150 kilograms, were planted in a vehicle.

DCO Peshawar Sahibzada Anees has confirmed 87 deaths in the tragic incident while the hospital sources confirmed 89 people dead, majority of them are women and children.

Condition of many injured is said to be serious and the toll is feared to rise further.

Senior NWFP Minister Bashir Ahmed Bilour reiterated the commitment to bringing the terrorists to justice.

President Asif Ali Zardari has expressed profound grief over the loss of innocent lives in Peshawar bomb blast, while denouncing the incident, Prime Minister (PM) Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani directed concerned officials to provide the injured with all the possible medical relief. NWFP Chief Minister (CM), Amir Hyder Khan Hoti has ordered inquiry of the blast.

Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) Quaid Mian Nawaz Sharif, CM Punjab Shehbaz Sharif, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Quaid Altaf Hussain, Governor Punjab Salman Taseer, Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Qamar Zaman Kaira, NWFP CM Amir Hyder Hoti, Governor NWFP Owais Ahmed Ghani, CM Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Governor Sindh Dr Ishrat-ul-Ibad, CM Balochistan Aslam Raisani, Governor Balochistan Zulfiqar Magsi, Federal Ministers Farooq Sattar and Babar Ghauri, Amir Jamaat-e-Islami Syed Munawar Hassan and Qazi Husain Ahmed strongly condemned the blast.