Pakistan 'to strike at militants'

A brigadier was among those killed in the Rawalpindi attack Pakistan will launch an operation against militants in restive South Waziristan "imminently", Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said. He was speaking hours after militants attacked army HQ in Rawalpindi, killing 11 civilian and army deaths while eight militants were killed. Mr Malik blamed the attack on the Taliban and al-Qaeda, whose strongholds are in South Waziristan. One militant, thought to be the group's leader, was arrested. Mr Malik said the government had given its approval to an operation in South Waziristan, and it was now up to the army to decide on its timing. "The operation is imminent," he said, according to Reuters news agency. The army has been preparing for a major operation in South Waziristan since it successfully cleared the Swat valley of militants in September. Correspondents say a string of recent militant attacks have been attempts to dissuade the army from mounting an assault on South Waziristan. The attack on Rawalpindi prompted US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, speaking during a visit to London, to say militants in Pakistan were increasingly threatening the authority of the state. But she said the US saw no evidence they were going to succeed, or that Pakistan's nuclear arsenal was at threat. Lahore link Mr Malik also congratulated the army on its success in ending the hostage situation.But the BBC's Aleem Maqbool in Islamabad says the attack will be a huge embarrassment to the authorities, coming in one of the most secure areas in the country. It began on Saturday when militants drove up to the army compound, shooting and throwing grenades. Six soldiers and four militants died in the initial assault. The authorities declared the situation over, but it later transpired that some militants had infiltrated the compound and were holding hostages. Pakistani special forces stormed the compound just before dawn on Sunday. In the ensuing fighting, three hostages, two soldiers and four militants were killed. Another militant was badly wounded and later arrested. The military said later that the surviving militant, named as Aqeel or Dr Usman, was the leader of the group and was also suspected of masterminding an attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore in March. Senior military officials and civilian personnel were reported to be among the hostages. The attack followed a series of bombings in north-western Pakistan. On Friday at least 50 died in a blast in Peshawar. In recent days Taliban positions in the tribal areas have been bombed by the air force, amid speculation that the army's offensive there is soon to be intensified, says our correspondent. There was a period of relative quiet in August after Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud was killed, but the rate of militant attacks has increased since then, he adds.