Posted on 09/13/2009 11:34:37 AM PDT by Neil E. Wright
By Emal Khan in Peshawar and Dean Nelson in New Delhi
Published: 11:00PM BST 12 Sep 2009
Its announcement, made on one of its pirate radio stations, came as its charismatic leader Maulana Fazlullah was reported to be surrounded by Pakistani troops, and there were claims that he had in fact already been arrested.
Their collapse in Swat, if confirmed, will deal a serious blow to the Taliban's Pakistan leadership which has been in disarray since its leader Baitullah Mehsud was killed in an American drone attack in north Waziristan, close to the Afghan border, last month.
Since then, rivals to succeed Mehsud have been locked in a bloody power struggle while a number of senior militant commanders have been killed and captured, including five senior commanders in Swat last week.
Among them was Muslim Khan, Fazlullah's deputy and spokesman, who was seized during "peace talks" with the Pakistan Army.
Fazlullah's militants seized control of the Swat Valley, once one of the country's most popular tourist destinations, in December last year and held it until May this year when a government land and aerial offensive ousted them from the main towns.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Toward FREEDOM
That would be a good thing for locals caught amidst all the death and chaos.
Hope the Pak politicians don’t roll over and send these animals home on an oath they will lay down arms.
earlier today.. Good catch!
“Fazlullah is surrounded, and he cannot escape us,” Malik told reporters in Islamabad.
Pakistan says close to capturing militant leader
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090913/ap_on_re_as/as_pakistan_30
Interesting that as much bad news and bad mouthing the UK gets, you only get these stories from UK papers. The American media is more concerned about Jackson and American idol.
It won’t be the first time. sadly.
Pasta Fazulah!
Allahu FUBAR!
‘senior militant commanders’ in short supply Ping!
Soooo...When are you moving in with Salman Rushdie?
You have to hide because you owe me a keyboard.
So much for martyrdom, eh?
This stuff goes into our history books, the other stuff in the trash. This is the stuff that lives on.
Yeah right. In other breaking news, President Obama promises “Hope” and “Change”. Oh, wait, the latter might turn out to be true after all. Be afraid, be very afraid.
Sweet.
Shouldn’t take Obama and McChrystal too long to figure how to turn victory into defeat...
They’ll probably set this guy free in exchange for some Libyan oil and set him up with some WMD as compensation for bothering him.
I like the name Swat Valley. Also Stomp Valley, Crush Valley and Exterminate Valley. Death Valley too, but that’s on our land.
I’ll wait to see some reliable confirmation but great news if true.
I thought Fazlullah was dead! But good news nonetheless, if true.
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