The Islamists Strike Back Against Pakistani Military

The Islamists, none too happy about Pervez Musharraf's decision to storm the Islamist stronghold in the Lal Masjid, have taken up arms and are going to counter the Pakistani offensive against the Islamists in Warizistan. 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed in a suicide bombing of a convoy:

Islamic militants launched a deadly suicide attack, detonated a roadside bomb and fired rockets on Saturday as thousands of Pakistani troops deployed to the northwestern frontier to thwart the launch of a holy war, officials said.

At least 24 soldiers were killed in the suicide attack on a military convoy, an army spokesman said. The escalating violence along the rugged Afghanistan border, a haven for local and foreign extremists, follows the government's bloody attack on Islamabad's Red Mosque which sparked calls for revenge from radical groups.

''With help from local tribal elders, we are trying to ensure that militants lay down their arms and stop issuing calls for jihad against the government,'' a senior military official said on condition of anonymity, because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Maulana Fazlullah, a radical cleric who has close links to the outlawed Movement for the Enforcement of Islamic Law, has told supporters to prepare for jihad against President Gen. Pervez Musharaff for the assault, the official said.

Pakistan commandos overran the mosque Wednesday, after an eight-day siege with a hard-line cleric and his militant supporters among more than 100 dead.