Pakistan moves tanks, troops into tribal area

 Pakistan on Saturday moved troops and tanks into Khyber Agency, a lawless tribal district bordering Afghanistan, after pro-Taliban militants threatened to invade Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province.

Inspector General of paramilitary Frontier Corps major general Alam Khattak said that the operation against “criminal groups” may take three to five days.

Pakistan's new government on Thursday authorised the army chief to use force in the region in order to tackle growing militancy which has killed hundreds of people in suicide attacks and bombings.


The Lashkar-e-Islami group led by local warlord Mangal Bagh is said to be the target of current military operation as authorities accuse of it of criminal activities for example kidnapping for ransom, car lifting and drugs smuggling under the garb of imposing a strict Taliban-style Islamic code.


Recently the groups kidnapped more than one dozen members of Peshawar's Christian community and took them to Khyber, but released them afterwards when government intervened.


Media reports said that security forces blew up Lashkar-e-Islami headquarters with explosives.


Meanwhile chief of Taliban movement Pakistan Baitullah Mehsud, the tribal war lord from South Waziristan whom the government accuses of plotting the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto, on Saturday threatened to suspend peace talks with government if it used force in tribal areas.

Comments