TANK, Jan 2: The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan has given another two days to the government to end the military operation in Swat and pull out all security personnel from the area, and warned that it will expand its actions from Waziristan to Kohistan and settled districts if their demand is not met.
Maulvi Omar, a spokesman for the organisation, told Dawn by telephone on Wednesday that an earlier deadline for withdrawal of troops had lapsed on Dec 15, but they did not resume their activities because the entire nation was in mourning following the tragic death of Benazir Bhutto.
“Now we extend the deadline for two days and ask the government to withdraw troops and halt the operation in Swat. Otherwise, we will attack the government everywhere and it will be an all-out war,” he warned.
Maulvi Omar said his organisation claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of four military personnel in South Waziristan and said that troops had been building new bunkers in the area for a possible operation against their commander Baitullah Mahsud.
Sources said that former MNA Maulana Merajuddin had reached Laddah to negotiate the release of the four security personnel.
The sources also said that at least 22 tribesmen travelling in two coaches were detained by authorities near the Manzay fort on Tank Wana road and 20 Mehsud tribesmen had been arrested under the FCR on Tuesday in connection with the kidnapping of soldiers.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations, an exchange of fire took place between ‘miscreants’ and Frontier Corps (FC) personnel on Tuesday night.
It said that an FC checkpost in Laddha area had been attacked and about 25 militants were killed in the exchange of fire.
