Pakistan Villagers honour al-Qaeda “martyrs”
ON THE edge of a busy highway near the northern city of Kohat, hundreds of people gather every day at a makeshift shrine to pay homage and pray for four al-Qaeda fighters killed in a gunfight with the Pakistani security forces last week. Colourful streamers tied to a pole raised over a pile of rocks mark the spot where the “martyrs” died. “It is a sacred place where the blood of the soldiers of God was spilt,” Noor Mohammed said as he knelt to kiss a stone, still stained with blood. Full Story