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Afghanistan/South Asia |
Jirga tightlipped about talks with Mehsuds |
2005-01-29 |
A six-member tribal clerics' jirga on Friday returned after meeting militant Baitullah Mehsud, but gave no details of daylong talks for the surrender of Abdullah Mehsud. A tribal source in Tank told Daily Times by phone that the tribal clerics had returned after the talks and held a closed-door meeting with South Waziristan Agency chief administrator Asmatullah Khan Gandapur. "The clerics are tight-lipped about their negotiations with the two militants," said the source who asked not to be named. "Secrecy is being kept about the talks." The sources said the jirga accompanied by a 21-member peace committee was likely to hold another round of talks with the militants. Brig (r) Qayyum Sher, member of the committee, told Daily Times by phone from Dera Ismail Khan that Baitullah had asked the clerics to bring the committee members along because he wanted to resume talks with them. Baitullah told the clerics that he could not talk to them alone and demanded members of the peace committee representing various Mehsud tribes be part of the talks, the source said. |
Posted by:Fred |