 Local Taliban in South Waziristan have been allowed to establish an office in Wana to “help restore law and order” in the area.
| Brilliant. Simply brilliant. Cigarettes, the cure for cancer... |
According to the BBC, the decision was taken in a meeting held here in the Jamia-ul-Aloom madrassa run by former MNA Maulana Noor. The participants of the meeting noted that crime was rising in Wana, particularly murder, robbery and drug trafficking.
| Coinciding, in fact, with the increase in local Taliban influence... |
Local cleric Maulvi Abass said the Taliban office will work to restore peace in the area and not to impose Sharia law, according to sources privy to the meeting. Locals can take their grievances to the office and they will be heard by a qazi, or Islamic judge, he said. The government did not oppose the establishment of the Taliban office because it knows it will improve the situation in the area, he said.
| The gummint did not oppose the move because it's impotent. |
Maulvi Abass was wanted by the government until he signed an agreement last year not to participate in or encourage attacks on security forces.
| ... and now he's taking charge... |
Police arrested 22 Afghan refugees in North Waziristan on Tuesday, a day after ordering them to leave the country amid accusations they were sheltering militants, AP reported. Clashes this month between militants and security forces in North Waziristan have killed more than 100 militants and eight soldiers. The Afghan refugees “give shelter to their own people from across the border who create problems for us,” regional security official Sikandar Qayyum told Geo television. |