At least four terrorists killed in US airstrike on Pakistani village

AT least four foreign terrorists died in the purported US airstrike aimed at al-Qaida’s number two leader in a Pakistani border village, the provincial government said yesterday.

The Bush administration, meanwhile, called Pakistan a valued ally in the war on terror yesterday and pledged to continue pursuing al-Qaida leaders amid concerns that the airstrike has strained ties between the two countries and could provoke more anti-American sentiment.

The statement issued by the administration of Pakistan’s semi-autonomous tribal regions bordering Afghanistan also said that between 10 and 12 foreign extremists had been invited to a dinner at the village hit in Friday’s attack.

It was the first official confirmation by Pakistani authorities that foreign militants were killed in the attack on the village of Damadola. Women and children also died, triggering outrage in the Islamic nation.

The statement did not identify who the foreigners may have been or who was the target of the missile strike.

Pakistani intelligence officials have said Ayman al-Zawahri, Osama bin Laden’s top lieutenant, had been invited to a dinner in the targeted village to mark an Islamic holiday but did not show up and sent some aides instead.

There have been conflicting accounts from Pakistani officials and witnesses over who, if anyone, reclaimed bodies from the scene of the missile strike.

Damadola residents claim all the victims were locals and they buried them all. One Pakistani official told The Associated Press on Saturday that the bodies had been taken away for DNA tests, although it wasn’t clear by whom.

The statement, citing the chief official in the Bajur region where Damadola is located, said its findings were from a report compiled by a “joint investigation team” but gave no specifics on who was included in the team.