Pakistan: Locals Corner Taliban Fighters

Police Say 1,500 Tribesmen Lay Siege To 200 Militants In Retaliation To Mosque Bombing

(CBS/AP)  A group of Taliban fighters under siege by hundreds of angry tribesmen tried to sneak to another village in northwest Pakistan, only to find themselves cornered there too, an official said Tuesday.

A citizens' militia that sprang up over the weekend to avenge a deadly suicide bombing at a mosque in Upper Dir district appeared unwilling to stop pursuing the Islamist fighters, underscoring the rising anti-Taliban sentiment in Pakistan.

A police official told The Associated Press the Pakistani Army was joining the fight, sending in helicopter gunships to support the tribesmen.

The growing pressure on militants who have held sway in parts of Pakistan's northwest comes as the army bears down on their one-time stronghold in the Swat Valley region. Talk has also turned to the possibility of another operation against al Qaeda and Taliban fighters in the nearby tribal belt along the country's border with Afghanistan, something U.S. officials privately say they would like to see.

Some 1,500 tribesmen laid siege to several villages known as Taliban strongholds in Upper Dir over the weekend, eventually cornering militants in Shatkas and Ghazi Gay villages. By Tuesday, some of the Taliban tried to get away to Malik Bai village, which the tribesmen also encircled, police official Fazal Rabi said.

"About 200 Taliban have been surrounded by the militia" in the villages, Rabi said.

Officials have said the Taliban carried out Friday's mosque bombing that killed 33 in the town of Haya Gai because they were angry that local tribesmen had resisted their moving into the area, where minor clashes between the two sides occurred for months. Rabi said the tribesmen had sworn on the Quran that they would not let the militants go unpunished.

At least 13 insurgents have died in the fighting since Saturday.

The citizens' militia, or lashkar, was using its own weapons and had no police backup, Rabi said.

The army's chief spokesman, Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas, on Monday urged civilians to consider the kind of rule the Taliban was trying to impose - they stand accused of whippings and beheadings in the name of Islamic law in Swat - and join the fight against them.

"Citizens should ponder upon the way of life they are introducing, if that is acceptable to us," Abbas told the News1 television network. "If not, they have to raise a voice against them, they have to rise against them."

Washington strongly backs the Swat offensive, and officials have said privately they would like Pakistan to follow up by launching an operation in nearby South Waziristan tribal region, the main base for Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud.

The government has announced no plans to attack the area, where al Qaeda fighters also are believed to be operating.

[6591Hou]

I'll comment. I think it's great, now we should get some troops and equipment over there to help them.
Posted by Carvin82604
==========
equipment maybe, troops no - would send the wrong message.

[trapbreaking]

As with the people in Iraq who tired of the
terrorist in their neighborhoods, looks like the people of Afghanistan are tiring of the Taliban.

Just has the people of Lebanon have tired of Hezbollah.
Terrorism has had it's day and the locals have had enough of it..

.

[nolapearl]

Where is the equipment to help them?

[koko98-2009]

Thank God the Brits had some civilizing influence on the sub-continent.

[promaclaura]

The moderate Muslims have been addressing their extremists it is just we don't see it due to the fact that unless it is bloody the news doesn't feel the need to show it. Most Muslims are not extremists and now they have seen we want to work with them and treat them like people so you are going to see more of this.

The only bad part is as the extremists become desparte they will step up the attack. That will be the time that we need to show support.
Posted by antoniof123 at 7:14 AM : Jun 9, 2009

I want them to be louder and bolder in their protests across the globe. I know most Muslims are not extremists, my kid's doctor is a moderate from Pakistan and I think he's great.

[Carvin82604]

I'll comment. I think it's great, now we should get some troops and equipment over there to help them.

[antoniof123]

The moderate Muslims have been addressing their extremists it is just we don't see it due to the fact that unless it is bloody the news doesn't feel the need to show it. Most Muslims are not extremists and now they have seen we want to work with them and treat them like people so you are going to see more of this.

The only bad part is as the extremists become desparte they will step up the attack. That will be the time that we need to show support.

[parrots7]

A glimmer of hope, I've been waiting for moderate Muslims to address THEIR extremists. The Taliban laid low for quite awhile in Pakistan, but it looks like they're cooking their own goose with attacking the locals who hid them for so long. It took them years to finally figure out that the evil amongst them are no longer their "brothers in religion".
Posted by promaclaura at 6:00 AM : Jun 9, 2009


You won't find many Repugs commenting on an article like this. Dumb Repugs !

[Questionews]

Cool! Now behead them & put it on You-Tube. Isn't that the standard?

[promaclaura]

A glimmer of hope, I've been waiting for moderate Muslims to address THEIR extremists. The Taliban laid low for quite awhile in Pakistan, but it looks like they're cooking their own goose with attacking the locals who hid them for so long. It took them years to finally figure out that the evil amongst them are no longer their "brothers in religion".

[creeper00]

Fascinating. The Pakistani government has often shown feet of clay when it comes to fighting the Taliban. Evidently the local tribesman have no such problem.

While this is good, it is also evidence of the tribalism that holds sway in that part of the world. I don't look for much stability in that region, even if they throw the Taliban out. Those tribes have been fighting each other for years. It's all they know. Changing that mindset is going to be difficult. Good luck, SOS Clinton.