 Careful -- it is from BBC, hence the quotes
Terrorists Militants in Pakistan's tribal region of North Waziristan have announced a month-long ceasefire. A spokesman for the terrorists militants announced the truce in a telephone call to the BBC from an undisclosed location. He said the truce was to encourage dialogue with the government, and demanded troops withdraw from the area.
| "They make us nervous! Especially those airplanes!" |
The government has described the truce as positive. Dozens of tribal militants and government troops have been killed in clashes in the area this year.
The terrorists militants, also known as local Taleban, have set the government four main conditions. They want a withdrawal of army troops from the region within a month, and the removal of all new check posts from North Waziristan, their spokesman Abdullah Farhad told the BBC. He also demanded the restoration of salaries and jobs and other incentives for local tribes and the release of tribesmen arrested during military operations against al-Qaeda and Taleban fighters in the region.
The governor of North Western Frontier Province, Ali Mohammad Jan Aurakzai, said a decision on these conditions would be taken in talks with the terrorists militants. He promised to reciprocate with a goodwill gesture but did not elaborate.
| "I'll have more when we've decided with the coalition commanders how best to kill these mutts." |
Tens of thousands of Pakistani security forces are battling Taleban and al-Qaeda terrorists supporters in the country's restive tribal belt along its border with Afghanistan.
The "Pakistani Taleban" have risen over the past year to take control of large parts of Waziristan. A similar ceasefire was announced last year in South Waziristan, since when violence has decreased significantly.
North Waziristan is the most conservative region in the seven tribal agencies that constitute Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and is seen as a hotbed of Taleban terrorist activity. |
