Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Tribesmen vow to "evict al-Qaeda"

BBC News

"Hundreds of tribesmen in Pakistan's tribal area of South Waziristan have been told to oust al-Qaeda-linked foreign militants from the area."
"The edict was issued by a local jirga, or tribal council, attended by elders and chiefs."
"Waziristan has seen heavy fighting between local Pashtun and foreign fighters in March."
"At least 150 people, mostly Uzbeks, have been killed, according to the central government."
"Locals say the figure is much lower."
"The fighting started after the local Pashtuns told the foreigners to disarm or leave the area. 'They were our guests but later they turned into our enemies as they started killing our people,' said local tribal leader Haji Mohammad Sharif according to the Reuters news agency."
"Many fighters with ties to al-Qaeda regrouped in Waziristan after the US attacked their bases in neighbouring Afghanistan in 2001."
"The local militants are led by pro-Taleban commanders Mullah Nazir and Haji Sharif, while the foreign militants belong to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, correspondents say."

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