Monday, May 4, 2009

‘2,000 people being used by Taliban as human shields’




ISLAMABAD: Militants beheaded two soldiers they had earlier captured in Khawazkhela area of Swat ‘against all norms of religious teachings and human ethics’.

According to a press release issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations on Monday, security forces were still exercising restraint because of the peace agreement but militants’ high-handedness was continuing.

It said that the militants, in gross violation of the peace accord, were marching on the roads of Mingora city and in other areas, threatening innocent people and the civil administration.

The ISPR said that in Buner militants were using 2,000 innocent people as human shields in view of the imminent cleansing of Pir Baba by security forces.

Early on Monday morning, the militants attacked a security convoy in Barrikot. An officer was killed and two soldiers were injured in the ensuing exchange of fire.

Militants raided a security checkpost at Shangla top and killed one soldier. Security forces also came under attack at Maidan and three militants were killed in an exchange of fire.

A vacant police checkpost at Yakhtangi in Shangla was destroyed by the militants who also set on fire three civilian trucks in Biladram area of Chamtalai.

The militants torched the house of a DSP in Kumber (Maidan) and looted the house of a UC Nazim. They kidnapped a few civilians from Kot Haya Sarai area in Maidan.

According to ISPR chief Major General Athar Abbas, the armed forces were exercising maximum restraint and still wanted the issue to be resolved without bloodshed. He, however, said the militants were blatantly violating the peace agreement.

He said the operation in Swat had been suspended to give peace efforts a chance. It is for the government to decide whether or not a military operation should be launched in Swat again.

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