August 30, 2008	Saturday	Sha'aban 27, 1429

TIMERGARA, Aug 29: The Taliban agreed to wind up their camps and pull out of Maidan area of Lower Dir within the next two days, sources told Dawn here on Friday.

The assurance was given by a twelve-member team of masked Taliban, headed by their local chief Hafeezullah, to a twelve-member committee of peace jirga during talks at an undisclosed location in the area on Friday.

A member of the jirga, privy to the talks, said that the Taliban came to the rendezvous from the tribal belt and the meeting remained fruitful as the Taliban agreed to leave the area within the next two days.Earlier, the Taliban had set conditions for leaving the region and members of the Maidan Peace Jirga had held a meeting with District Coordination Officer (DCO) Ghulam Mohammad and District Police Officer (DPO) Syed Fida Hassan to inform the district administration about the demands of the Taliban.

“The Taliban have put three conditions: all cases registered against them should be withdrawn, their local hosts should be provided protection and they should be provided a safe passage to leave the district,” said a member of the jirga.

According to him, the district administration had agreed to convey one of their conditions, withdrawal of cases against the Taliban, to the provincial government for further directives as “the district administration has no such powers”. However, the other two conditions, the DCO had told the jirga, were on their own disposal.

After meeting the district high-ups, the jirga met the local Taliban again in an effort to compel them to leave the area. The committee had been formed to meet the Taliban by the local leaders.