Troops halt hardline Islamist marches in Pakistan

PAKISTANI security forces yesterday stopped hundreds of hardline Islamists from heading to north-western Pakistan to protest against a fatal US missile attack, the first time authorities have tried to quell mounting anti-American sentiments.

The convoy of 2,000 protesters, led by senior politicians from an opposition religious coalition, was heading to Damadola to protest the January 13 attack that targeted top al-Qaida leaders but killed 13 civilians outraging many in the Islamic nation.

Hundreds of armed local police erected barricades at Yukka Ghund, a town about 20 miles from Damadola and blocked the convoy, which had set off earlier from the capital Islamabad, gathering strength along the way.