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Tribesmen forming militias to expel Taliban: army
Friday, 22 May, 2009 | 06:37 PM PST |
KHWAZAKHELA: Tribesmen near the Swat valley are raising militias to prevent the Taliban from expanding their influence in the region, a senior military commander said on Friday.
Major-General Sajjad Ghani, who is leading the offensive in the upper part of Swat valley, said people in neighbouring Kalam valley and Lower Dir district were raising their own militias, commonly known as lashkars, to confront the militants, Reuters reports
‘They are resolutely defending against the advance of the Taliban. That’s the silver lining that I can see,’ he told reporters during a trip to Swat arranged by the military.
In a sign of growing hostility, villagers in Kalam and Lower Dir have tried to expel the gunmen.
Several people were killed or wounded in a clash between armed villagers and Taliban fighters in Kalam on Thursday, provincial assembly member Jafar Shah told Reuters.
Villagers had made a similar stand in parts of Lower Dir, to the west of Swat, and the Taliban had pulled out of some areas, a provincial government official there said.
‘Today they stand isolated, not only in the valley but also at the national scene. I think this is a big achievement of the government as well as the military,’ military spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas said.
Ghani said civilian casualties were ‘less than double figures’ in areas under his command.
Ghani said two major militant strongholds had been secured in upper Swat and people who had fled the area would soon be asked to return to their homes.
Ghani said the military was determined to eliminate the Taliban and ruled out the possibility of any talks or a ceasefire with the militants.
‘This time it has been decided to take the operation to its logical conclusion aimed at eliminating the terrorists,’ he said.
DAWN.COM | Provinces | Tribesmen forming militias to expel Taliban: army
Friday, 22 May, 2009 | 06:37 PM PST |
KHWAZAKHELA: Tribesmen near the Swat valley are raising militias to prevent the Taliban from expanding their influence in the region, a senior military commander said on Friday.
Major-General Sajjad Ghani, who is leading the offensive in the upper part of Swat valley, said people in neighbouring Kalam valley and Lower Dir district were raising their own militias, commonly known as lashkars, to confront the militants, Reuters reports
‘They are resolutely defending against the advance of the Taliban. That’s the silver lining that I can see,’ he told reporters during a trip to Swat arranged by the military.
In a sign of growing hostility, villagers in Kalam and Lower Dir have tried to expel the gunmen.
Several people were killed or wounded in a clash between armed villagers and Taliban fighters in Kalam on Thursday, provincial assembly member Jafar Shah told Reuters.
Villagers had made a similar stand in parts of Lower Dir, to the west of Swat, and the Taliban had pulled out of some areas, a provincial government official there said.
‘Today they stand isolated, not only in the valley but also at the national scene. I think this is a big achievement of the government as well as the military,’ military spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas said.
Ghani said civilian casualties were ‘less than double figures’ in areas under his command.
Ghani said two major militant strongholds had been secured in upper Swat and people who had fled the area would soon be asked to return to their homes.
Ghani said the military was determined to eliminate the Taliban and ruled out the possibility of any talks or a ceasefire with the militants.
‘This time it has been decided to take the operation to its logical conclusion aimed at eliminating the terrorists,’ he said.
DAWN.COM | Provinces | Tribesmen forming militias to expel Taliban: army