Re: Pakistani troops deployed to Buner
DAWN.COM | NWFP | Two policemen killed in ambush after troops deployed in Buner
Two policemen killed in ambush after troops deployed in Buner
Thursday, 23 Apr, 2009 | 12:55 PM PST |
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PESHAWAR: Pakistani troops rushing to protect government buildings and bridges in Taliban-infiltrated Buner district just 60 miles from Islamabad were met with gunfire Thursday that killed two police officers, authorities said.
It was not immediately clear if the gunmen were Taliban militants, but the clash in the district is likely to heighten concern about the viability of a government-backed peace deal with the Taliban in northwest Pakistan.
The deal imposes Islamic law in a large segment of the country’s northwest in exchange for peace with Taliban militants in the neighboring Swat Valley.
In recent days, the valley’s militants have entered Buner in large numbers — establishing checkpoints, patrolling roads and spreading fear.
Eight Frontier Constabulary platoons arrived Wednesday in Buner, a district with more than a half-million residents, said Syed Mohammed Javed, a government official who oversees the area covered by the peace deal. He would not say if the deployment was in direct response to the Taliban presence.
Javed did not specify the number of troops involved, but a platoon typically has 30 to 50 members.
On Thursday, gunmen opened fire on a security convoy that included some of the Frontier Constabulary. The gunfire killed two escorting police officers in the Totalai area, a police official said.
He refused to speculate on the identities of the gunmen.
Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas, the Pakistan Army’s chief spokesman, insisted the situation in Buner was not as dire as some have portrayed — saying militants were in control of less than 25 per cent of the district, mostly its north.
‘We are fully aware of the situation,’ Abbas said. ‘The other side has been informed to move these people out of this area.’
However, a meeting between tribal elders and the Taliban on Thursday in Daggar, Buner’s main town, ended without any indication that the Taliban would withdraw.
In an indication of the fear spread by their advance, Daggar’s bazaar as well as the road into the district were almost deserted, according to an AP Television News reporter who visited the area and witnessed part of the meeting.
Police and government officials in Buner appear to have either fled or are keeping a low profile, and there was no sign of the Frontier Constabulary forces in the town.
Two Taliban representatives declined to comment after the meeting, driving away in a pickup truck. However, a Taliban leader who goes by the name Commander Khalil said the militants had agreed to stop patrolling in Buner, though they would still keep armed guards in their vehicles.
‘We are here peacefully preaching for Sharia. We don’t want to fight,’ Khalil told an AP reporter by phone.
Another Taliban leader, Mohammad Bashir, said the militants had agreed not to target those who had opposed them in the past in Buner — a key demand of local leaders, some of whom had raised lashkars (tribal militias) to fight the Taliban.
Javed Khan, a top administrator in Buner, said the Taliban agreed to not exhibit weapons or interfere with government offices. The militants also promised to leave aid groups alone, and return seized government vehicles, he said.
Nasir Laik, an elder at the Daggar meeting, said the militants could stay so long as they only preached.
According to officials, the Taliban have established a base in the village of Sultanwas and set up positions in the nearby hills. Residents say they have been broadcasting sermons by radio about Islam and warning barbers to stop shaving men’s beards.
President Asif Ali Zardari signed off on the peace pact last week in hopes of calming Swat, where some two years of clashes between the Taliban and security forces have killed hundreds and displaced up to a third of the one-time tourist haven’s 1.5 million residents.
The cease-fire agreement with militants covers Swat and other districts in the Malakand Division, an area of about 10,000 square miles.
