.Taliban calls ceasefire in order to concentrate on attacking Nato
Maulvi Faqir Mohammad, the militant leader in Bajaur Agency, said his men would no longer attack Pakistani army forces which have maintained a devastating aerial bombing campaign against his fighters.
Sources close to the Taliban leader said the announcement was made following assurances of an amnesty for his fighters and a secret agreement was signed between the commissioner for Malakand district and Faqir Mohammad and his spokesman, Maulvi Omar.
The development will cause alarm in London and Washington where Britain and the United States fear such 'peace deals' amount to a surrender.
American military chiefs have bitter memories of the last peace deal in Waziristan in 2006 which they believe allowed al-Qaeda to regroup and rebuild its international headquarters.
In his radio announcement, Faqir Mohammad, who has until now been deputy to Pakistan's Taliban overlord Baitullah Mehsud, admitted 24 of his men had been killed in an assault on his forces last August.
The aerial bombardment by Pakistan forces which followed displaced 300,000 tribal families from their homes. Faqir's forces, which are known to have harboured foreign al-Qaeda fighters, have also been hit by a number of American Predator drone attacks.
He demanded compensation payments to those who had lost relatives and property in the conflict and the release of all his fighters currently in jail.
His ceasefire has intrigued analysts and diplomats who said it reflected a realignment within Pakistani Taliban forces.
It is thought to be a consolidation of forces in an attempt to survive the expected Nato surge in Afghanistan and an increase in Pakistan Army and American drone attacks on in Pakistan's tribal areas.
The announcement follows the recent peace deal in Swat where Taliban militants pledged a permanent ceasefire after the provincial government agreed to introduce Sharia Law.
It is understood the North West Frontier Province government has agreed an amnesty for Taliban fighters, including those who have bombed girls' schools and video shops and beheaded opponents.
It also follows a shake-up in the Taliban alliance led by Baitullah Mehsud. He has announced a new umbrella group, the Shura Ittehadul Mujahideen, which includes two senior militant commanders who had until now been regarded as 'pro-Pakistan government' Taliban.
According to one militant source in Bajaur, Baitullah Mehsud had recently received a message from the Taliban's 'supreme leader', Mullah Omar, calling on him to stop attacks on the Pakistan Army and reminding him that Nato forces in Afghanistan were their real enemy.
"Somebody is calling the shots here and it would make a lot of sense if it was a Pakistan Security service figure. At the moment the Taliban are trying to hold their ground but is backing away from confrontation inside Pakistan. They're saying 'we'll control the territory, but we'll not fight the army. Our brothers will fight on the [Afghan] side of the border,'" said one senior Western diplomat.
Brigadier Mehmud Shah (retired), former secretary security of Pakistan's Federally-Administered Tribal Areas, said the deal was a smart move by the government which exploited growing Taliban divisions while they are on the defensive.
He said there was resentment in Bajaur that Waziristan Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud had not come to their aid during the Pakistan Army offensive and a suspicion that he was only interested in preserving his own rule in Waziristan.
Telegraph
Sources close to the Taliban leader said the announcement was made following assurances of an amnesty for his fighters and a secret agreement was signed between the commissioner for Malakand district and Faqir Mohammad and his spokesman, Maulvi Omar.
The development will cause alarm in London and Washington where Britain and the United States fear such 'peace deals' amount to a surrender.
American military chiefs have bitter memories of the last peace deal in Waziristan in 2006 which they believe allowed al-Qaeda to regroup and rebuild its international headquarters.
In his radio announcement, Faqir Mohammad, who has until now been deputy to Pakistan's Taliban overlord Baitullah Mehsud, admitted 24 of his men had been killed in an assault on his forces last August.
The aerial bombardment by Pakistan forces which followed displaced 300,000 tribal families from their homes. Faqir's forces, which are known to have harboured foreign al-Qaeda fighters, have also been hit by a number of American Predator drone attacks.
He demanded compensation payments to those who had lost relatives and property in the conflict and the release of all his fighters currently in jail.
His ceasefire has intrigued analysts and diplomats who said it reflected a realignment within Pakistani Taliban forces.
It is thought to be a consolidation of forces in an attempt to survive the expected Nato surge in Afghanistan and an increase in Pakistan Army and American drone attacks on in Pakistan's tribal areas.
The announcement follows the recent peace deal in Swat where Taliban militants pledged a permanent ceasefire after the provincial government agreed to introduce Sharia Law.
It is understood the North West Frontier Province government has agreed an amnesty for Taliban fighters, including those who have bombed girls' schools and video shops and beheaded opponents.
It also follows a shake-up in the Taliban alliance led by Baitullah Mehsud. He has announced a new umbrella group, the Shura Ittehadul Mujahideen, which includes two senior militant commanders who had until now been regarded as 'pro-Pakistan government' Taliban.
According to one militant source in Bajaur, Baitullah Mehsud had recently received a message from the Taliban's 'supreme leader', Mullah Omar, calling on him to stop attacks on the Pakistan Army and reminding him that Nato forces in Afghanistan were their real enemy.
"Somebody is calling the shots here and it would make a lot of sense if it was a Pakistan Security service figure. At the moment the Taliban are trying to hold their ground but is backing away from confrontation inside Pakistan. They're saying 'we'll control the territory, but we'll not fight the army. Our brothers will fight on the [Afghan] side of the border,'" said one senior Western diplomat.
Brigadier Mehmud Shah (retired), former secretary security of Pakistan's Federally-Administered Tribal Areas, said the deal was a smart move by the government which exploited growing Taliban divisions while they are on the defensive.
He said there was resentment in Bajaur that Waziristan Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud had not come to their aid during the Pakistan Army offensive and a suspicion that he was only interested in preserving his own rule in Waziristan.
Telegraph
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