2 killed as rocket hits hotel in northwestern Pakistan

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A rocket hit a small hotel during a battle between security forces and pro-Taliban militants in volatile northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, killing two people, officials said. At least four others were injured when the rocket destroyed part of the 20-room Shaheen Hotel in Miran Shah, the main town in North Waziristan, where Pakistan has deployed security forces in an effort to flush out Taliban and al-Qaida militants. Hotel owner Sikandar Khan said his building was hit before dawn during fighting between troops and local militants. "It all started when some rockets fell near an army checkpoint" in Miran Shah's main bazaar, he said.