Masked militant supporters of Maulana Fazlullah, a hard line cleric, armed with AK-47 assault rifles stand guard in Charabagh near Mingora, the main town of Pakistan’s Swat district bordering Afghanistan,
Friday, Nov. 2, 2007. Dozens of paramilitary troops defect in northwest Pakistan saying they do not want to fight their Muslim brothers, an embarrassment to President Gen. Pervez Musharraf as he struggles to regain control of an mountainous region from Taliban and al-Qaida-linked militants. (AP Photo/Mohammad Iqbal) Email Photo Print Photo
Pakistani troops surrender
November 2, 2007
AP …for complete story
SWAT, Pakistan
Islamic militants paraded 48 men on Friday described as government troops who surrendered during fighting — an embarrassment to President Gen. Pervez Musharraf as he struggles to regain control of a mountainous region from Taliban and al-Qaida-linked extremists.
Islamic militants said Saturday they had taken control of a police station in the volatile northwest region, hoisting their flag over its roof.
Officers fled the police station in Swat late Friday, said Sirajuddin, a spokesman for a radical cleric who leads the militants. “Our flag is hoisted above Matta police station now,” said the spokesman, who only goes by one name.
No government official was immediately available to comment on Sirajuddin’s claim, which comes a day after Adm. William Fallon, the chief of the U.S. Central Command, met with Musharraf and other top generals to discuss the security situation. Washington backs Musharraf as a bulwark in its war on terrorism.
The rising violence and political turmoil have fueled fears that Musharraf might extend his military rule by imposing a state of emergency or martial law, jeopardizing a promised transition to democracy. The Bush administration and European allies have urged against such measures, according to a Western diplomat in Islamabad.
“I think it would be quite obvious that the United States wouldn’t be supportive of extraconstitutional means,” Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters in Ireland ahead of a diplomatic mission to Turkey and the Middle East.
The Western diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said elements in Pakistan’s ruling party were pushing for such a move in case the Supreme Court disqualifies Musharraf’s Oct. 6 presidential victory because he did not first give up his position as army chief.
A verdict is due before his current term expires Nov. 15, after which Pakistan is due to hold parliamentary elections by January.
The deteriorating security situation is adding to the sense of crisis. Pakistan has been rocked by a string of suicide bombings and clashes between soldiers and Islamic militants who have expanded their influence inland beyond existing strongholds in border regions.
The army said it killed up to 70 rebels Thursday when helicopter gunships pounded the once-popular tourist destination of Swat, where a hard-line cleric is trying to enforce Taliban-style rule. The militants said the toll was exaggerated, and pointed to their own successes.
Masked extremists armed with AK-47 assault rifles and long knives escorted journalists Friday to a two-story concrete building in the town of Charabagh to show off 48 men who surrendered after the battle. Most were described as paramilitary troops from the Frontier Corps. They were released after the display.
“We have surrendered to these mujahedeen,” said Barkat Ullah, 24, who, like other captives, was wearing civilian clothes, saying they had left their uniforms at their posts. “We had no ammunition. We had no other option.”
Army spokesman Maj. Gen. Waheed Arshad, who announced the reported militant death toll on Thursday, declined to comment Friday on the surrenders.
A video shop owner shows a jihadi or holy war CD at his shop in Mingora, the main town of Pakistani district Swat bordering Afghanistan, Wednesday,
Oct. 24, 2007. Muslim extremists are expanding their control of northern Pakistan, challenging the U.S.-backed government of President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and adding to the geography where terrorists allied with Osama bin Laden can find refuge. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zubair)
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Wild Thing’s comment……..
Well this sure stinks! There has been a lot of fighting in this area recently, more then usual. The Pakistani government has failed to meaningfully address the terrorist threat. We have given Pakistan $11 billion I think it is,
F-16’s and other incentives ( military , and economic etc.) But even so the Pakistani government has not been able to do a a lot of what needs to be done.
Also, I have always been curious how this works, how does AP or Reuters get close enough to report and photograph things like this. I mean without being killed, or taken prisoner. Pay the terrorists money? Promise them great 8 X 10 glossies of themselves to send to put up in their caves? hahaha
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