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| India-Pakistan |
| Police told to give Taliban a 'free hand' |
| 2009-04-15 |
| Police have been told by the government not to interfere with the Taliban, as they are "guests" and should be allowed a free hand, a report in The Telegraph claimed on Tuesday. A police official in Buner, neighbouring the restive Swat, was quoted by Telegraph as saying that they "have been instructed by the government to stay away from the Taliban as they are our guests and should be allowed to walk around the marketplace". Buner is the latest district hit by violence after the Taliban stormed it from the neighbouring Swat valley, where the government on Monday agreed to the Taliban demand of imposing sharia. The policeman said he was told that any action against the Taliban would be a setback for the peace process. Buner residents formed a lashkar to resist the Taliban, and clashes have so far killed eight Taliban, three policemen and two villagers. Authorities claim they were negotiating with the Taliban to convince them to withdraw, but the Taliban seem going nowhere and determined to take over the valley, police said. "They are everywhere," a senior police official was quoted by Telegraph. "They are visiting mosques and bazaars and asking people to help them enforce sharia". He said Buner was rapidly turning into Swat. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Who gets the feeling the military/Govt want the taliban to be a major force in the country so we in the West start paying them their usual welfare cqs? |
| Posted by: Paul2 2009-04-15 07:11 |