Posted on 05/14/2008 12:49:53 PM PDT by gandalftb
PESHAWAR: The government started withdrawal of Army troops from the Mahsud-inhabited areas of South Waziristan Agency (SWA) and agreed to swap prisoners. Also, both the sides would sign yet another peace agreement, which the government suggested should not be in written form.
However, top military spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas said the troops would be readjusted in the region.
The sources said the troops would begin leaving Spinkai Raghzai town on May 16. The process of a complete withdrawal from the Mahsud-dominated areas would be complete by May 19.And once the troops are withdrawn from these areas, the jirga member said the government would pull out troops from the gun-manufacturing Darra Adamkhel town and then picturesque Swat valley.
Sources said the government decided to release 55 suspected militants in the first phase, detained from Swat, Bajaur, Mohmand, Darra Adamkhel and South Waziristan during the past few months, while the militants would set free only 10 government officials, including security personnel.
In the second phase, the government would release 20 suspected militants while Baitullah would hand over 100 government people. The government has already taken 55 suspected militants in military choppers to tribal South Waziristan Agency, expected to be exchanged today (Wednesday).
TTP spokesman Maulvi Omar said they had already sent a list of 245 detainees to the government, taken into custody from South Waziristan, Darra Adamkhel, Mohmand, Bajaur and Swat.
He said the government sent them a list of 85 names but there were 100 government people in their custody as some other were later captured from Mohmand Agency. On request of the jirga, Baitullah and his commanders had ordered their fellow fighters not to target security forces and government installations during the process of withdrawal of the troops from the troubled regions.
(Excerpt) Read more at thenews.com.pk ...
Mehsud and the Taliban are now free to send/rent out more fighters to Afghanistan. The new government looks more credible, the Mehsud/Taliban agrees to stop bombings in Paki cities, the Mehsud/Waziri tribal feud can now be conducted more privately, Arabs and Uzbeks are more available for us to attack and we can focus on Bajaur where AQ and the Uzbeks are concentrated.
Baitullah is quitting the fight somewhat to focus on arms and opium sales. War is big business in the FATA as long as you don't attract Predators.
They’ve taken up the DemocRats solution: Surrender
This is breaking:ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AFP) - At least a dozen militants including foreign fighters were killed Wednesday in a suspected US missile strike on two houses in NW Pakistan.
Two missiles apparently fired by a US drone aircraft demolished a house and a compound used by suspected Al-Qaeda militants in Bajaur tribal region near the border with Afghanistan.
The houses targetted belonged to Maulvi Taj Mohammad and Maulvi Hassan, though it was unclear if they had been killed in the strikes.
Both were Al-Qaeda facilitators, there was an ammunition dump in one of the houses.
Once the army is gone, we ought to clean the place out. I mean really clean. Like only ionizing radiation can clean.
??????HUH?.....
The battlefield is shaping to our favor. AQ is becoming more isolated, we are quickly co-opting the Frontier Constabulary and doing an Al Anbar strategy. Baitullah saw the writing on the wall that the Paki border was open for us operationally. His warld got real small, real fast. Our Predator strikes last month convinced him to drop out.
Loyalties are shifting like sand in the theater.
That’s what I came to post. Maybe there is some muslim ritual where you can “sign” a deal by kissing each other’s ass wiping hand.
“...both the sides would sign yet another peace agreement, which the government suggested should not be in written form...
??????HUH?.....”
As in unlike the earlier worthless agreements, this one will be worth less than the earlier ones written on paper.
Just following a dictum laid down some time ago:
Lead, follow or get the H*ll out of the way.
The Pakis are simply choosing to get the H*ll out of the way.
The Coalition forces now have a straight shot in South Waziristan, with less chance of the Pakis being taken out by “friendly fire”.
This is good news, get the Pakistani troops out of the line of fire and nail these 7th century relics from the air and thru covert ground ops...
Make ‘em fearful of the light and what it may bring and even more so of the night and its incoming deliveries to the places where rats nest.
bkmark
This all played out two years ago and we were given hot pursuit permission and open season on non-Pakis, but no significant and widespread results. AQ dug in, expanded, and brought in lots of Uzbeks.
What's different this time is our greatly enhanced electronic intercept ability, advisors in-country, and many more armed drones.
The Pakis are well advised to get out of the way.
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