Two Mehsud sub tribes' jirga on Thursday reached an agreement with the army, promising they will not shelter foreigners. The two jirgas, consisting of 56 men from the Shabikhel tribe and 26 from the Shimankhel tribe, held separate meetings with Lieutenant-General Safdar Hussain. A military source described the agreement as in important breakthrough in the hunt for militant Abdullah Mehsud who is believed hiding in the area of the two tribes.
| "Yeah. We're pretty sure he's hiding in there. That's where all the gunfire's coming from." |
"A good start has been made to flush out both local and foreign militants from the area," said the source who asked not to be named. Five most wanted Wazir militants surrendered to the army on November 12 and a ceasefire took place two days after, and peace has been restored since. The two tribes pledged to cooperate with the army and the government in the war on terror. The Peshawar corps commander said the army held tribesmen in the highest esteem and wanted to provide them with opportunities for development. |