Pro-Pak govt Taliban threaten reprisals if US drone attacks not stopped

Miramshah, Nov 21 : A pro-Pakistan government Taliban leader has reportedly threatened to carry out retaliatory attacks in the settled areas (of the country) if the federal government failed to stop the US drone strikes in the tribal areas.

While presiding over a meeting of the Taliban Shura at an undisclosed location of the Miranshah tribal agency, Taliban head in North Waziristan Hafiz Gul Bahadur directed his men to prepare for "avenging the killing of innocent Waziris slain in unjustified and repeated attacks by the CIA-operated US drones", reported The News.

In a statement issued to the press after the meeting, local Taliban spokesman Ahmadullah Ahmadi said the meeting "unanimously decided" to abide by the peace agreement they had signed with the government, but hastened to add that the US missile strikes would not be tolerated and would be responded in the same coin by carrying out strikes in settled parts of the country.

The statement, however, did not reveal the number or identities of militant commanders attending the meeting.

Threatening of targeted attacks throughout the country, Hafiz Gul Bahadur claimed that every strike by US drones killed innocent tribesmen. "Any attack launched after midnight today (Thursday) will be avenged," the statement quoted the Taliban commander as saying. The attacks would continue till the missile strikes were stopped, he added.

ANI