Taliban Push Back in Swat
Taliban forces are pushing back in Swat after the peace deal there between the Pakistani Army and militants “practically stands dissolved,” according to Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan.
To prove it, militants attacked a military convoy, killing one soldier and one was injured, according to a military spokesman. Khan claimed credit for the attack, saying it was in response to strengthened military positions in the region in violation of the peace deal.
“Why do you think we should remain silent if they come heavy on us? … We will attack them too,” he told The Associated Press.
Also on Monday, armed Taliban defied a government curfew and were patrolling the main town in district after rejecting an Islamic appeals court set up under a peace deal, witnesses said.
Authorities imposed a curfew from 6:00 pm to 9:00 am in Mingora, the main town in Swat, on Sunday for the first time since signing the February deal with Sufi Mohammad to try to end nearly two years of violence.
‘We had concerns about the law and order situation, that is why the curfew was imposed,’ the head of the local administration, Khushhal Khan, told AFP.
Residents said they saw armed Taliban patrolling the main roads in Mingora late Sunday despite the curfew.
‘It is the first time that Taliban have again started armed patrolling in Mingora,’ one resident told AFP, requesting anonymity.