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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| No negotiations with militants, says Sherpao |
| 2004-11-25 |
| Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao on Wednesday ruled out any further negotiations with militants after claiming that the government had significant control over the troubled tribal areas. "Around 70 percent of the total Mehsud area was searched and is under our control. A search operation in the remaining area is underway. The operation will continue until the last foreign militant is flushed out," he told journalists at the Capital Development Authority (CDA) headquarters. He said there was no chance of dialogue with militants like Abdullah Mehsud, who kidnapped innocent Chinese engineers and hampered the Gomal Dam project and blackened Pakistan's name. He denied that the government had declared South Waziristan Agency and the adjacent tribal areas 'war zones.' He said the government had taken control of the Wazir tribe's territory. Referring to the recent seizure of an arms cache and the arrest of two Tajik militants, he said that security forces had made gains and that the situation was improving. He denounced a statement by Abdullah Mehsud on BBC in which the militant said he would take every opportunity to exploit the situation in his favour. |
| Posted by:Fred |