'al-Qaeda threat can't deter Pak terror fight'
Gunmen kill 5 troops in Baluchistan
AFP, Islamabad
Pakistan vowed yesterday it would not be deterred by al-Qaeda threats of further attacks after the terror group claimed responsibility for an assassination attempt on prime minister-designate Shaukat Aziz. "It strengthens our resolve to continue our fight against terrorism," military spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan told AFP. He said al-Qaeda's claim of responsibility for Friday's suicide bomb attack on Aziz confirmed Pakistan's assessment that the group was involved in terrorist acts in the country. "It only confirms our assessment of their involvement," he said referring to the third attempt on Pakistani leaders in recent months, linked to al-Qaeda suspects. Aziz, 55, narrowly escaped when a suicide bomber crashed into his car soon after he was leaving an election rally in Attock, some 45km west of Islamabad late Friday. Meanwhile, five off-duty soldiers and a civilian were killed yesterday when unidentified gunmen on motorbikes opened fire on a car in Pakistan's southwestern Baluchistan province, the police and military said. The military described the attack as an act of "terrorism" but said it had not been specifically aimed at the army.
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