Pakistan

Shoot-outs in Swat valley after Al-Qaeda combat call

Article published on the 2009-07-15 Latest update 2009-07-15 19:07 TU

Internally displaced men push a horse cart with their belongings to a bus scheduled to take them back to the Swat valley
(Photo: Reuters)

Thirteen Taliban and one soldier have been killed in fighting in Pakistan's Swat valley, according to officials, as refugees return to the area. Al-Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahiri has dubbed the offensive there a US crusade and called on Pakistanis to fight it.

Officials claim that a previously unknown "terrorist leader" was among those killed in fighting, which led returning refugees to fear that the danger to their lives may not be over.

The deadliest fighting is reported to have been near Kabal, a former Taliban stronghold. The military said eight militants, including two foreigners, and a soldier were killed in a gunbattle there.

In an eight-minute, 49-second English-language video called "My Muslim Brothers and Sisters in Pakistan" on Tuesday, Zawarhiri said US intervention in Pakistan could break the country apart.

"The American crusader manipulation of Pakistan's destiny has reached such an extent that it now poses a grave danger to Pakistan's future and very existence," he said.

The country is split between forces representing "Islamic values" and those allied to the US "crusade", he said, calling on Pakistanis to support Taliban fighters in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The Site Intelligence Group said the video was posted on jihadist web forums Tuesday.