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| India-Pakistan |
| Senator demands troops withdraw from Mehsud tribe areas |
| 2007-09-05 |
| A South Waziristan senator demanded on Tuesday the withdrawal of troops from the areas inhabited by the Mehsud tribe, saying deteriorating law and order was linked to the army’s presence in the area. Meanwhile, no headway was reported in talks for the release of kidnapped soldiers. “What is the point of keeping security forces in the Mehsud areas when security is deteriorating because of their presence?,” Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) Senator Saleh Shah told Daily Times as the South Waziristan chief administrator called jirga members for consultations in Wana. He said Political Agent Hussainzada Khan had called the jirga members holding talks with Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud - who claims he is holding around 200 soldiers - for a meeting in Wana. The government accepted two out of four key Taliban demands by releasing more than 100 arrested tribesmen and opening the Wana-Tank highway for heavy traffic bringing food to the Mehsud areas, where the missing soldiers are believed to be kept. Baitullah have said that he would “behead five soldiers every day” if troops are not pulled out from the area. When asked how optimistic he was about the troops’ release, the senator said, “If Baitullah uses wisdom instead of sentiments the jirga can be successful and if sentiments overshadow wisdom and sanity then I have doubts about the jirga’s success.” |
| Posted by:Fred |