June 26, 2008	Thursday	Jamadi-us-Sani 21, 1429

MINGORA, June 25: A soldier was killed and 10 girls’ schools were set on fire by militants in Swat in the early hours of Wednesday, while the local Taliban Shura agreed to hold final talks with the NWFP government in Peshawar on Thursday.

Militants attacked a security post in Shah Dheri in Kabal tehsil, killing the soldier and injuring three others, army officials said. They also fired rockets on several posts of security forces.

At least 10 government-run girls’ primary and middle schools were set on fire in different areas of Matta tehsil, ostensibly in retaliation for Tuesday’s killing of some Taliban.

The Aligrama police post was blown up by an improvised explosive device. The post had been abandoned by police.

Muslim Khan, spokesman for militant cleric Maulana Fazlullah, told Dawn that the local Taliban Shura, at its meeting at an undisclosed location, had agreed to give the NWFP government a “final chance” to remove their reservations.

He said talks with the government were likely to be held in Peshawar on Thursday. “It will be the final round of negotiations. The Taliban representatives will demand an assurance from the government for immediate implementation of the 16-point peace deal inked on May 21.

“It is a do-or-die time for us. If the government accepts our demands with an open heart and orders immediate action, the accord will be intact.

“If we feel that the government is playing delaying tactics, then the deal will be considered scrapped.”

He said the Shura had reluctantly decided to send a team to Peshawar after repeated requests by the provincial and district governments. The spokesman said: “Our enraged fighters have demonstrated their strength by carrying out several attacks on the security forces in one night. They killed two of our men but how many casualties were inflicted on them? How much public property was damaged?”

He warned of a “bloodbath” in the whole Swat valley if the Taliban’s “might” was challenged, adding that the “responsibility for such a situation would rest with the security forces”.

The spokesman alleged that the administration did not want peace in the region and it was creating hurdles in the peace process.

He said the security forces, instead of fighting the enemy, were killing their “own people at the behest of the United States”.

He said the Taliban’s decision to resume talks with the government showed that they wanted peace.