Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
My Profile
Top News
Reuters top ten news stories delivered to your inbox each day.
Subscribe
You are here:
Home
>
News
>
International
>
Article
Home
Business & Finance
News
U.S.
Politics
International
Technology
Entertainment
Sports
Lifestyle
Oddly Enough
Environment
Health
Science
Special Coverage
Video
Pictures
Your View
The Great Debate
Blogs
Weather
Reader Feedback
Do More With Reuters
RSS
Widgets
Mobile
Podcasts
Newsletters
Your View
Make Reuters My Homepage
Partner Services
CareerBuilder
Affiliate Network
Professional Products
Support (Customer Zone)
Reuters Media
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
Pakistan urges Taliban to lay down arms
Sun Apr 26, 2009 10:23am EDT
Email | Print |
Share
| Reprints | Single Page
[-]
Text
[+]
By Zeeshan Haider
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan called on Taliban fighters to lay down their arms after security forces launched an offensive Sunday to stop their advance in a troubled northwestern region.
"These extremists have no other option but to lay down arms because the government is serious in flushing them out," interior ministry chief Rehman Malik told Reuters.
The military operation in the North West Frontier Province came amid growing worries in the United States about the stability of its nuclear-armed ally after militants began extending their influence.
A military spokesman said scores of militants, including a commander, and a soldier had been killed in the operation in Lower Dir district.
Malik said security forces had almost taken control of the entire Lower Dir. "We will not allow the Taliban to impose their rule in Dir or in any other part of the country," said Malik, who is in the cabinet and advises the premier on internal affairs.
The operation began after militants opened fire on a convoy of paramilitary Frontier Corps in the region, wounding four soldiers.
"Helicopter gunships are pounding militants' positions in the hills. There has been intense fighting. A curfew has been imposed. We are now confined to our houses," Ali Shah who runs a grocery shop in Timergara, the main town of Lower Dir, told Reuters by telephone.
Lower Dir is part of Malakand division where President Asif Ali Zardari reluctantly sanctioned the imposition of Islamic sharia law aimed at ending militant violence.
Emboldened after winning that concession, Taliban fighters moved into the Buner district of Malakand -- just 100 km (60 miles) northwest of the Pakistani capital -- from the neighboring Swat valley.
CONCERN IN WASHINGTON
The Taliban's advance toward Islamabad has heightened concern in Washington that its ally is in danger of sliding into chaos. U.S. officials want Pakistan to take a stand rather than cede more territory to militants through policies of appeasement like the introduction of Islamic law.
Western governments that need Pakistan's support to defeat al Qaeda and succeed in stabilizing Afghanistan, dread the idea of any threat to the security of Pakistan's nuclear weapons.
"We can't even contemplate that," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in an interview with Fox News in Baghdad.
"We cannot ... let this go on any further. Which is why we're pushing so hard for the Pakistanis to come together around a strategy to take their country back."
Pakistan's allies want to see a coherent, decisive action by Islamabad against militants, and analysts say Zardari may want to show some steel before talks in Washington with President Barack Obama and his Afghan counterpart Hamid Karzai on May 6-7. Continued...
View article on single page
Share:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Mixx
Yahoo!
Facebook
LinkedIn
Next Article:
Somali pirates seize Yemen oil tanker: Yemen official
Also on Reuters
Reinventing MySpace: a new CEO is just the beginning
Blog: How do shopping centers spell rent relief? N-O.
Slideshow
Slideshow: Cashing in on Obama
More International News
Sri Lanka rejects Tamil Tiger ceasefire
| Video
Clinton says U.S. will never sell out Lebanon
Anger at deadly U.S. military raid in southern Iraq
Ebadi team denied access to U.S.-Iranian reporter: aide
ANC wins big in South Africa
| Video
More International News...
Related News
Weekend blasts kill 16 children in Pakistan
8:38am EDT
Residents appeal for peace in Pakistani valley
7:37am EDT
NATO, Pakistan hold joint naval exercise off Karachi
7:45am EDT
Editor's Choice
Slideshow
A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. Slideshow
Most Popular on Reuters
Articles
Video
World eyes deadly flu risk, Mexico City hushed | Video
Conficker virus begins to attack PCs: experts
Global flu epidemic fear grows, more U.S. cases | Video
FACTBOX-Obama's first 100 days by the numbers
Deadly new flu strain erupts in Mexico, U.S. | Video
Facebook surfing while sick costs woman job
Fear a high school reunion? Hire a stripper
WRAPUP 4-World eyes deadly flu risk, Mexico City hushed
Pakistan urges Taliban to lay down arms
Miss Universe Australia in "skinny" controversy
Most Popular Articles RSS Feed
Video
Pandemic fears over U.S-Mexico flu
Clinton in surprise Iraq visit
Sri Lanka urged to protect civilians
Swine flu deaths rise
Swine flu cases mount in Mexico,U.S.
Mexico prepares to stop deadly flu
ANC wins South Africa election
New Zealand in swine flu alert
Afghan police hit by triple blast
Pandemic fears over U.S-Mexico flu
Most Popular Videos RSS Feed
Reuters Deals
The global destination for corporate leaders, deal-makers and innovators
Knowledge to Act
Reuters.com:
Help and Contact Us |
Advertise With Us |
Mobile |
Newsletters |
RSS |
Interactive TV |
Labs |
Archive |
Site Index |
Video Index
Thomson Reuters Corporate:
Copyright |
Disclaimer |
Privacy |
Professional Products |
Professional Products Support |
About Thomson Reuters |
Careers
International Editions:
Africa |
Arabic |
Argentina |
Brazil |
Canada |
China |
France |
Germany |
India |
Italy |
Japan |
Latin America |
Mexico |
Russia |
Spain |
United Kingdom |
United States
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.