Two soldiers were killed on Friday in the first suicide bombing in Pakistani Kashmir while several people were hurt in a blast near the Afghan border as the army prepares to attack Taleban in that region. Militants have carried out a series of bomb attacks across Pakistan in recent weeks in retaliation for a military offensive in the northwest but there have been no such attacks in Pakistan's part of the disputed Kashmir region. The army launched its offensive after Taleban gains raised fears for US ally Pakistan's future and worry about the safety of its nuclear arsenal. The blast in Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistani Kashmir, will raise concern that the militants are expanding their campaign to distract the military as it closes in on Pakistani Taleban chief Baitullah Mehsud in South Waziristan on the Afghan border. “The bomber blew himself up near a military vehicle. Two of our soldiers embraced martyrdom,” a military spokesman told Reuters. Three soldiers were wounded in the attack. The United States has hailed Pakistan's action against the militants and on Wednesday the US Senate approved tripling aid to Pakistan to about $1.5 billion a year for five years as part of a US plan to fight extremism with economic development. US President Barack Obama has put Afghanistan and Pakistan at the centre of his foreign policy agenda and has launched a strategy aimed at defeating al Qaeda and stabilising Afghanistan, where thousands of extra U.S. soldiers are arriving. Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani appealed Thursday to visiting US National Security Adviser Jim Jones for US help to resolve the dispute with India over Muslim-majority Kashmir. Gilani's office cited Jones as saying the U.S. government wanted to help the nuclear-armed neighbours resolve “core issues”. India broke off talks with Pakistan after militant attacks on the city of Mumbai in November. India blamed the attacks on Pakistan-based militants and wants Pakistan to act against them. The United States is pushing for an easing of tension between the rivals so Pakistan can focus on fighting the Taliban. The military has been launching air strikes on Mehsud's bases this month while soldiers have been securing main roads and sealing off his stronghold Mehsud is a close Al-Qaeda ally and his followers have responded with a campaign of attacks, including suicide blasts, across the country.
