Taliban pull out of peace talks after attack
The leader of the Taliban in Pakistan said he is suspending peace talks with the government because of a military offensive against militants in Khyber.
Baitullah Mehsud said today he is freezing the talks until a final decision is made by his movement’s executive council.
The government has been negotiating a controversial peace deal with Mehsud’s fellow tribesmen in an effort to help pacify the tribal areas.
Earlier a local government official said Pakistan had launched a military operation against Taliban militants because they were threatening the main city in the country’s volatile north-west.
Muhammad Siddiq Khan said the paramilitary Frontier Corps began the operation today in the Khyber tribal region near Peshawar.
He said the troops are firing mortar shells at suspected militant hide-outs in the mountains.AP
