Pakistan Taliban leader orders militants to halt attacks

This is from the CBC. The new Pakistani government is undercutting U.S. policy completely. The U.S. is gungho for battle with the Taliban and was urging Musharraf to battle them even more than he was. Now, the Pakistani government and the Taliban are in effect declaring a truce. This will indeed enable the Taliban to regroup and to solidify their control of the tribal areas. No doubt there will be more infiltration of militants into Afghanistan.



Taliban leader orders militants to halt attacks
Last Updated: Thursday, April 24, 2008 | 8:58 AM ET Comments59Recommend55CBC News
A senior Taliban commander in Pakistan has ordered his followers to stop all attacks along the Afghanistan border, threatening those who disobey him with severe consequences.

Baitullah Mehsud, an al-Qaeda-linked Pakistani warlord whom authorities said was behind the killing of Benazir Bhutto, warned those who don't abide by the command will be publicly hanged upside down.

The order is final and there will be no leniency, the leaflet says.

The previous, pro-Musharraf government accused Mehsud in the December assassination of Bhutto. But Mehsud has reportedly denied involvement, and Bhutto's party has not repeated the assertion.

The leaflet was distributed a day after Pakistan's new government drafted a peace agreement with the Taliban in the tribal belt.

It also follows the release earlier this week of pro-Taliban cleric Sufi Muhammad.

The government of the North West Frontier Province said Muhammad's group signed a pact renouncing violence in return for being allowed to peacefully campaign for Islamic law in the Swat Valley and neighbouring areas.

But critics have said these deals give militants the ability to regroup and intensify their attacks.

On Wednesday, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the Bush administration has "been concerned about these types of approaches, because we don't think they work."

"What we encourage them to do," Perino said, "is to continue to fight against the terrorists and to not disrupt any security or military operations that are ongoing in order to help prevent a safe haven for terrorists there."

With files from the Associated Press