16 Pakistani Soldiers Killed in Attack

Militants attacked security forces Wednesday in northwest Pakistan, killing 16 soldiers and wounding up to 21 others in two separate strikes against military convoys, officials said.

The escalating violence follows the scrapping by militant leaders of a 10-month-old peace accord with the government in the Afghan frontier region of North Waziristan.

President Gen. Pervez Musharraf said he would not declare a state of emergency in face of the mounting bloodshed and claimed that al-Qaida in Pakistan was on the run, his spokesman told The Associated Press.

"Al-Qaida has weakened because of the actions taken by Pakistani forces," Musharraf was quoted by spokesman Rashid Quereshi as telling newspaper editors.

The president said elections scheduled for later this year would be held on time.

Adding to Musharraf's woes was a suicide bombing Tuesday night in Islamabad before a rally to support the country's chief justice in his face-off with the president. Supporters of former Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry accused the government of being behind the attack, which killed 16 people. Musharaff tried to fire the independent-minded Chaudhry, sparking a popular backlash.

The meltdown in Pakistan continues. Pervez Musharraf is hanging onto power by a thread and if he is toppled we will be faced with one of the most dangerous situations the world has ever known. Where will we get the military resources to stop a nuclear armed, terrorist controlled Pakistan? Now can you finally understand why the war in Iraq has been an even bigger disaster than previously thought? The problems in Pakistan are a direct result of our decision to invade Iraq instead of continuing the fight against al-Qaida in Afghanistan.