Pak dispatches troops to counter Taliban in Buner

Peshawar, Apr 23: Troubled over the increasing Taliban influence in the North West Frontier Province's (NWFP) Buner region, Pakistan has dispatched at least eight platoons of paramilitary troops to counter the infiltration.

According to sources, eight companies of the Frontier Constabulary (FC) have been sent to the district to safe guard government buildings and bridges, which the government fears the Taliban could attack.

The Dawn has reported that after Mullah Fazlullah's announcement over his illegal FM radio channel, the patrolling by the Taliban in the district's shopping areas has subsided.

Local residents have informed that extremists have restricted their movement to Pir Baba, Sultanwas and Zaga areas of the district.

Following the government's approval to establish sharia law in the region, militants from the Swat Valley entered Buner in large numbers raising fears that the Taliban would establish its hold in the region too. It seems like the accord had only emboldened their wish to expand their control.

ANI