Suicide bomber kills 5 Pakistani soldiers near Afghan border
Attack on a military compound in volatile tribal region comes as Cheney meets in Afghanistan with President Karzai.
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — A suicide bomber today rammed his explosives-laden car into a military vehicle outside a brigade headquarters in Pakistan's restive tribal region bordering Afghanistan. Five soldiers were killed and 11 wounded, the military said.
The attack came as Vice President Dick Cheney was visiting neighboring Afghanistan for talks with President Hamid Karzai, during which both leaders stressed the importance of Pakistan's role in the fight against Islamic extremism.
Pakistan is in the midst of a political transition after last month's parliamentary elections in which President Pervez Musharraf's party suffered a resounding defeat. Musharraf is considered a key U.S. ally in confronting the Taliban and Al Qaeda, but it is not yet known to what extent the incoming coalition government dominated by his opponents will hew to American wishes.
Cheney, asked in the Afghan capital of Kabul about the level of cooperation expected from the new Pakistani administration, pointedly noted that "a government has an obligation to control its sovereign territory, to make certain that that territory doesn't become a safe haven for . . . terrorist groups intending to do harm to others."
The Pakistanis "have as big a stake as anyone else in dealing with the threat that sometimes emerges from those areas along the border," he said.
The Bush administration has long wanted Pakistan's government to do more to rein in Islamic militants who have made the tribal areas their sanctuary. But the cause is an unpopular one inside Pakistan, made even more so with the dramatic drop-off in Musharraf's popularity.
Direct U.S. military action inside Pakistan is forbidden, but the former general has given tacit permission for such strikes -- a state of affairs that may not continue after the new government is formed.
Parliament is to meet Monday to vote on a new prime minister, but the top vote-getting party, that of slain former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, has not yet named its candidate for the post.
Bhutto's widower, Asif Ali Zardari, has signaled he may seek the job for himself, but since he does not hold a parliamentary seat, he would have to choose someone to serve as interim prime minister until he can win a by-election and secure a seat.
