Pakistan releases 16 Taliban prisoners
Thursday, April 03, 2014
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's government met one of the Taliban's key demands in ongoing peace talks by releasing 16 Taliban prisoners on Thursday, Pakistan's interior ministry confirmed.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif approved the release of 16 prisoners belonging to the Mehsud tribe, which founded the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) network of militant groups from across the country, from a detention center in South Waziristan.
"The released prisoners do not include any Taliban commander. They all are non-combatants," said Islam Zaib, the administrative officer for South Waziristan, a region near the Afghanistan border.
The prisoners were taken into custody in a 2009 military onslaught on Mehsud-dominated areas of South Waziristan, which were considered TTP strongholds.
A senior interior ministry official told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonimty that the decision to release the first batch of prisoners had been taken in a meeting between the Prime MInister Nawaz Sharif and army chief General Raheel Sharif on Tuesday as a "goodwill" gesture.
The Taliban had earlier accused the government of not fulfilling its promises regarding the peace process and one of its senior members had warned that a month-long ceasefire may not be extended because of alleged government violations of the agreement.
Thursday, April 03, 2014
ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's government met one of the Taliban's key demands in ongoing peace talks by releasing 16 Taliban prisoners on Thursday, Pakistan's interior ministry confirmed.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif approved the release of 16 prisoners belonging to the Mehsud tribe, which founded the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) network of militant groups from across the country, from a detention center in South Waziristan.
"The released prisoners do not include any Taliban commander. They all are non-combatants," said Islam Zaib, the administrative officer for South Waziristan, a region near the Afghanistan border.
The prisoners were taken into custody in a 2009 military onslaught on Mehsud-dominated areas of South Waziristan, which were considered TTP strongholds.
A senior interior ministry official told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonimty that the decision to release the first batch of prisoners had been taken in a meeting between the Prime MInister Nawaz Sharif and army chief General Raheel Sharif on Tuesday as a "goodwill" gesture.
The Taliban had earlier accused the government of not fulfilling its promises regarding the peace process and one of its senior members had warned that a month-long ceasefire may not be extended because of alleged government violations of the agreement.







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