ISLAMABAD: Pakistan warned the Taliban on Tuesday it would expand a military offensive to Buner if the guerrillas did not withdraw from the area, according to Reuters.
Prime Minister’s Advisor on the Interior Rehman Malik said around 450 Taliban were reported to have sneaked into Buner on Monday.
‘I warn them to vacate the area. We are not going to spare them,’ he told reporters.
‘Action will be taken if anyone tries to block our efforts to re-establish writ of the government in Buner and other areas,’ he said.
The interior chief also said that religious scholars must condemn menace of extremism, DawnNews adds.
Pakistani security forces launched an offensive against militants in the Lower Dir district of North West Frontier Province’s Malakand Division on Sunday to stop the militants spreading out of the Swat valley.
Military officials say around 70 militants have been killed in fighting since Sunday. Independent casualty estimates are unavailable.
Meanwhile, a delegation of Ulema (religious scholars) demanded the immediate withdrawal of the military from Malakand Division.
Buner and Swat are both in Malakand, where President Asif Ali Zardari this month reluctantly agreed to impose the Nizam-i-Adl Regulation (Sharia law) in a bid to persuade the Taliban in Swat to lay down their arms.
But emboldened by government’s concession, Taliban fighters began moving into Buner and nearby Shangla district.
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