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| Afghanistan/South Asia |
| Govt and Nek militants near a deal |
| 2004-11-11 |
| The government is just days away from reaching a peace agreement with a group of militants loyal to Nek Muhammad, the chief government negotiator claimed on Wednesday. "We have made a breakthrough," said Colonel (r) Inamullah Wazir of talks with the tribesmen loyal to Nek Muhammad, a former Taliban commander killed by an army missile in June. "Within a day or two, we will reach agreement with the militants," he added. However, he declined to give details of the agreement. "It's too early to say," he said. "We are just waiting for the tribes' guarantees on behalf of the militants." He said NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah was personally involved in the negotiations and fully supported them. Tribal sources said that talks were being held with militant leaders Maulvi Muhammad Abbas, Muhammad Javed, Maulvi Abdul Aziz and brothers Haji Muhammad Umar and Muhammad Sharif at a secret location. The militant leaders declared war on the government after their boss Nek Muhammad was killed in a precision-guided missile attack in Wana in June this year, less than two months after the controversial Shakai deal of April 24. The sources said the talks had been underway for a month. Waziri cleric Maulana Noor Muhammad, who has influence among the Nek group militants, was facilitating the talks behind the scenes. The cleric enjoys close contact with Governor Shah and is a political rival of Maulana Abdul Malick, a Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal MNA. |
| Posted by:Fred |