JERUSALEM POST: 50 killed in attack on al-Qaida camp in Pakistan

Pakistani jets pounded a suspected al-Qaida training facility in a two-hour barrage Thursday in tribal South Waziristan, killing at least 50 people - among them Uzbek, Arab and Chechen fighters - senior intelligence and military officials said.

The military said the camp was located near Dila Khula, a South Waziristan village about 25 kilometers (15 miles) northeast of the region's main town, Wana, not far from the border with Afghanistan.

Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan told The Associated Press that at least 50 people were killed - a number he said could rise - and that 90 percent were foreigners. He said the camp was believed to be linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network.

"The foreign elements operating in these tribal areas have links with al-Qaida," Sultan said. He said he had no information on whether any high-value al-Qaida targets were present at the site.

North and South Waziristan are considered a possible hideout for bin Laden and his No. 2, Egyptian surgeon Ayman al-Zawahri, although there is no firm intelligence on their whereabouts.

Pakistan has frequently overstated the scope of its military operations, claiming to have captured or killed foreigners that turn out to be local tribesmen, or to have zeroed in on top al-Qaida men who never materialize.

Sultan said the camp was totally destroyed in the assault and all the people inside were believed killed. He described the site as being comprised of two compounds, with an explosives training facility in the middle.

"I don't think they put up a fight. They were taken by surprise," he said.