Pakistan halts attacks for Ramadan

Blast reportedly kills 4 militants; US drone cited

Men from the Bajur tribal region, site of a Pakistani military operation against insurgents that has displaced 300,000 people, prayed at a relief camp yesterday in Mardan, near Peshawar. (Emilio Morenatti/Associated Press)

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan said yesterday it was suspending a military operation against insurgents in a tribal region for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan but warned any provocations in the area would bring immediate retaliation.

A Taliban spokesman welcomed the decision to halt the strikes in the Bajur tribal region, a rumored hideout of Osama bin Laden near the border with Afghanistan.

In another part of the northwest, a blast blamed on a missile reportedly killed four suspected foreign militants. Residents said they saw a drone in the air shortly before the explosion, raising suspicion the United States was behind the strike.

Pakistan's five-month-old government tried peace talks with militants, but those efforts bore little fruit. It has turned to force in recent weeks, including using helicopter gunships and jets to strike suspected insurgent hide-outs.

The operation in Bajur began in early August. Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik said yesterday the operation has killed more than 560 people the government says were Islamist insurgents and has displaced more than 300,000 people. Malik did not commit to a formal end to the operation but said people displaced from Bajur could return to the region "without any fear."

US officials have pressed Pakistan to crack down on militants in its tribal regions, fearing Taliban and Al Qaeda-linked fighters use those border areas as safe zones. The United States is suspected of launching a series of missile strikes targeting alleged militant compounds in Pakistan's rugged and lawless tribal region.

Malik said the suspension of operations in Bajur would take effect by early today.

Bajur has been the primary focus of military operations against insurgents, though there have also been clashes in the northwestern Swat Valley.

The numbers and scope of the operations have been almost impossible to confirm because of the remote, dangerous nature of the regions. Pakistani Taliban have claimed responsibility for a string of recent suicide attacks, calling them revenge for the offensives.

As the crackdown has proceeded, Pakistan's government has become increasingly embroiled in political turbulence.

A short-lived ruling coalition forced Pervez Musharraf - the longtime US ally in the war on terror - to quit the presidency on Aug. 18. The coalition then rapidly fell apart over disputes about Musharraf's successor and how to reinstate judges he fired last year.

Asif Ali Zardari, head of the main ruling Pakistan People's Party, is considered the favorite to win lawmakers' votes for the presidency on Sept. 6. The party is considered generally in line with US goals in fighting extremists.

In the North Waziristan tribal region, witnesses and a local intelligence official said a blast yesterday destroyed a house and a missile strike was suspected.

At least four people were reported killed and two injured in the blast in Tapi village, said the intelligence official on condition of anonymity. He said all six were believed to be foreigners.

Local militants immediately surrounded the site, said area residents Mohammad Ayaz and Noor Rehman. Both said they saw a drone in the air before the explosion at about 3 p.m.

Past missile strikes are believed to have been conducted by the CIA using Predator drones.