Violence erupts in Pakistani cities along Afghan border

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Enraged by strikes on Afghanistan, thousands of supporters of its Taliban regime burned buildings, battled police and demanded a holy war against America on Monday. Two U.N. offices were targets.

Although most of the country was calm, violence broke out in two cities along the Afghanistan border. The rioting came as Pakistan's president insisted his support of the U.S.-led coalition reflected the will of the people, and sidelined two top pro-Taliban generals in his government.

One person was killed and 26 were hurt in the southwestern city of Quetta, a doctor said.

Authorities in Quetta uncorked tear gas and fired live ammunition into the air to repel 4,000 agitated demonstrators who torched five movie theaters, damaged a bank and burned the police station.

Members of the paramilitary border police were dispatched when local security forces began to lose control, and smoke was billowing from the city's main market at midafternoon.

"To all Muslims around the world: Prepare yourselves for jihad," said Maulana Noor Mohammed, the provincial head of the religious party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam.

The dead protester was killed by a stray bullet, said a physician at the civil hospital in Quetta who gave his name as Dr. Abdullah. He said six people were wounded by stray bullets and 20 were injured as police wielding clubs and firing tear gas clashed with the protesters. Two of the injured were police officers.

A compound housing U.N. offices also came under attack during the rioting in Quetta.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and UNICEF both have offices in the compound. The UNHCR office was pelted with stones and the UNICEF office torched, spokesmen for both agencies said. They said no one was hurt. Pakistan's government said it deeply regrets the attacks.

"It is unfortunate that the U.N. agencies providing humanitarian assistance to Afghan refugees in Pakistan have been targeted," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The overwhelming majority of Pakistan's 145 million people are Muslim, and Islamic religious parties have strongly condemned U.S. retaliation against Afghanistan for harboring Osama bin Laden, chief suspect in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.