Pakistan tribesmen sign peace deal promising not to shelter militants on the Afghan border

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1 hour ago

KHAR, Pakistan (AFP) — Tribesmen signed a deal with Pakistani authorities Monday, promising not to shelter militants in a tribal area on the Afghan border where the military said the Taliban had been defeated.

The 28-point deal came as Taliban fighters released five Pakistani soldiers who were kidnapped when the military launched a massive operation in Bajaur six months ago and after five rebels were killed in clashes with troops.

The blueprint was signed by tribal elders from Mamoun, the most populous district in Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal region of Bajaur, and government officials in Khar, the main town in the area.

"Tribal elders assured the government that militants will lay down arms and live peacefully in Mamoun under the deal," local administration official, Shafirullah Khan, told reporters after the signing ceremony.

He said that all militant organizations would be disbanded in the area and that the writ of government would be restored.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hFN_Dql9pRYBuPJz2UKmMJQ-5LUg

[KharmaTrain]

1. Now Does It Have Teeth?

The Pakistan government has never really had any control over the Pashtun areas along the border...other than to use it to funnel money and weapons. Is this a real deal or one that just looks the other way as the Taliban and other groups continue to be the real power?

This sounds like a 180 reversal on the "agreement" Musharaf signed off on a couple years ago that all but turned the region over to the militias and ensured Bin Laden and others a safe haven. Sounds like some real diplomacy is at work here.

Time will tell if this is a turning point or a U-Turn.

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2. Another report says the Pakistani military believes they've chased the combatants

. . . into Afghanistan from Bashir.

This may well be an agreement encouraged by the force of the Pakistani military advance.

[KharmaTrain]

3. Interesting Timing...

I was just listening to a report on President Obama's apparent outreach to moderate Taliban and Pashtun factions...similar to what Petreus did with the Sunnis in Iraq. Ya wonder if there's some coordination at work here. No doubt the ISI is in the thick of this, but whose side are they on? We never know.

Cheers...

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4. coordination, no doubt

'Bajaur' . . .


Pak wrests key tribal area from Taliban

INAYAT KALAY: After a six-month campaign, the Pakistani military is claiming victory over the Taliban in Bajaur, a northern sliver of the tribal areas, saying the militants have suffered heavy losses and have been pushed over the border into Afghanistan.

As evidence, the military this month showed off the once-busy, mile-long marketplace here, captured from the militants and pulverized to bits of concrete and mounds of dust. A tank was still parked in the remains of a shop. “The resistance has been broken down. We control the roads,” said Tariq Khan, inspector general of the Frontier Corps, the paramilitary force responsible for security in tribal regions. “They have lost.”

Already, Pakistani officials are hailing Bajaur as a landmark turn in the battle against Islamic militants and are trying to persuade the 300,000 people displaced by the fighting here to return, aided by a $19 million program financed by the US. But beyond the bounds of a tightly guarded tour of Bajaur for reporters, the larger battle against the Taliban and al-Qaida, whose fighters are deeply entrenched across northwestern Pakistan, seems unsettled.

Residents and military experts said it was likely that rather than being uprooted, the bulk of the Taliban had retreated to mountain enclaves, waiting to return, as they have so often, when the military eases off.