Roadside bomb kills Pak general, two officers

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani general was among two senior military officers killed by a roadside bomb on Sunday, in a north-western district once controlled by the Taliban. Major General Sanaullah and Lieutenant Colonel Tauseef were killed in the area of Upper Dir as they were on their way back after visiting checkpoints at the Pakistani border with Afghanistan, the military’s media wing said. A mid-ranking official also died when the vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive devise (IED) planted on the roadside. Major General Sanaullah was commander of Pakistani forces in Swat, a scenic valley in north-western Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, from where the Taliban were driven out in a military operation in 2009. Major General Sanaullah is the highest-ranked military official to be killed so far in Pakistan’s decade-old operation against terrorist organizations in the region. The attack occurs amid reports that the Pakistani government and local Taliban were preparing to open peace talks approved by the country’s top political leaders last week at a conference in Islamabad. The Taliban on Friday released eight government officials it had been holding for a year, calling it a “goodwill gesture” ahead of talks. Nonetheless, scepticism about the proposed talks lingers. No group has claimed responsibility for Sunday’s attack. However, the Taliban have been behind attacks in the area in recent past.