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| India-Pakistan |
| Splinter groups not under control of TNSM or TTP: ISPR |
| 2009-04-27 |
| ISPR Director General Maj Gen Athar Abbas has said that certain splinter groups are not even under the control of the Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and "these are the groups creating problems". Abbas, however, told a foreign television channel on Sunday that the government was confident of implementing the Swat peace deal. He rubbished as baseless reports that the Taliban could also enter Islamabad. "It is impossible for a group of 200 Taliban, who have come to Buner from Swat, to storm Islamabad despite its close proximity to Buner district. No doubt, Buner is situated within a radius of 100 miles of the federal capital ... [but] the threat cannot be measured in terms of distance, rather it has to be measured in terms of counter capabilities," he said, adding that it would be ridiculous to say that the Taliban were a threat to Islamabad. He claimed that there were no more than 50 Taliban in Buner district. "They were recruited by the Swat Taliban, who left them behind after ... they left Buner," he added. He said the security forces would flush out those left in Buner if they created further problems. |
| Posted by:Fred |