[Dawn] The head of the Taliban in Swat valley, Maulana Fazlullah, has said that he has escaped the army and is now in Afghanistan.Maulana Fazlullah told BBC Urdu that he had reached Afghanistan safely and will soon launch full-fledged punitive raids against the army in Swat.
He said those claiming success of the Swat operation should try and prevent drone attacks and the US security firm Blackwater from operating in Pakistan.
The cleric founded the Taliban in Swat which sought to enforce a hard-line version of Sharia law in the region.
He warned the authorities, especially NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain, of further attacks.
Maulana Fazlullah has been incommunicado for several months after authorities said he was mortally wounded in the army operation.
On Monday the US embassy denied reports that the US 'has shifted Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Chief Hakimullah Mehsud and the other Taliban leadership to Afghanistan.'
The report also alleged that the US is backing the militants fighting against the Pakistan Army in South Waziristan Agency.
The embassy said these allegations are false and malicious. The United States supports the decisive military actions being taken by Pakistan military forces against militants in South Waziristan and elsewhere. Pakistan, Afghanistan and the United States are working together against insurgents who seek to destabilize or kill innocent civilians.