Petraeus in Pakistan same day bomb kills 8

[unhappycamper]

A Pakistani tribesman examines the wreckage of a car was hit by a suspected U.S. missile in Mir Ali village near Miran Shah, the main town of Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal region along Afghanistan border, on Nov. 1.


Petraeus in Pakistan same day bomb kills 8
By Ishtiaq Mahsud - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Nov 2, 2008 11:55:21 EST

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan — A suicide bomber detonated his vehicle at a checkpoint in northwest Pakistan on Sunday, killing eight troops just hours before the new head of U.S. Central Command arrived to visit this critical ally in the war on terror.

Gen. David Petraeus, who took the new position on Friday after 20 months as the top U.S. commander in Baghdad, was accompanied by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher, the U.S. Embassy confirmed late Sunday.

Acting embassy spokesman Wes Robertson declined to provide specifics of the Americans’ schedule but said they would meet with government and military officials.

Petraeus’ trip to Pakistan, coming so soon after he took a position that gives him responsibility for America’s two wars, signals how important the U.S. considers the country to success in the anti-terror fight. The U.S. has pressured Pakistan to crack down on militants that use its soil as a base from which to plan attacks in Afghanistan.

But the visit also comes amid tension over alleged U.S. missile strikes on militant targets in Pakistan, one of which occurred last week in the same region the bomber struck Sunday.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/11/ap_petraeus_pakistan_110208/%2e