The Pakistan Army has rejected the Taliban's vow of "no shooting in Mingora" as a "ploy" by the defeated Taliban by which to gain a respite and escape. Observers said the move could be a ruse designed to gain breathing space, and that was not a formal ceasefire. Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan's vow to not fire "even a single bullet" came after a series of setbacks for the Taliban in street-to-street battles over the past week. "Our aides will remain there in Mingora, but we will not attack, we will not fire shots," he said.
Muslim Khan is one of the two senior Taliban commanders believed to be still in Mingora along with an estimated 1,000 fighters. While a slew of mid-level commanders have been killed, The Independent noted on Tuesday that the Taliban leadership remains at large. Maj Gen Athar Abbas, the chief army spokesman, dismissed suggestions that it halt its operation in response. The Taliban, he said, were "staring defeat in the face... They are now remembering the civilians whom they used to behead and decapitate". Taliban are said to be fleeing Mingora and heading towards their stronghold in Kabal, across the Swat river. The army pushed into Kabal from a base in the town of Kanju but has conceded there was "stiff resistance". Meanwhile, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said the number of people displaced by the fighting had risen to 2.3 million. |