Taliban announces surrender in Swat Valley after leader Maulana Fazlullah 'arrested'
By Emal Khan in Peshawar and Dean Nelson in New Delhi
Published: 11:00PM BST 12 Sep 2009
Its announcement, made on one of its pirate radio stations, came as its charismatic leader Maulana Fazlullah was reported to be surrounded by Pakistani troops, and there were claims that he had in fact already been arrested.
Their collapse in Swat, if confirmed, will deal a serious blow to the Taliban's Pakistan leadership which has been in disarray since its leader Baitullah Mehsud was killed in an American drone attack in north Waziristan, close to the Afghan border, last month.
Since then, rivals to succeed Mehsud have been locked in a bloody power struggle while a number of senior militant commanders have been killed and captured, including five senior commanders in Swat last week.
Among them was Muslim Khan, Fazlullah's deputy and spokesman, who was seized during "peace talks" with the Pakistan Army.
Fazlullah's militants seized control of the Swat Valley, once one of the country's most popular tourist destinations, in December last year and held it until May this year when a government land and aerial offensive ousted them from the main towns.
The fighting forced an estimated 200,000 civilians from their homes, and left hundreds of militants dead. In recent weeks the bodies several Taliban figures have been found swinging from lampposts amid allegations that they were being targeted for extrajudicial killings by government death squads.
Rumours of Fazlullah's arrest began to circulate early on Saturday after Pakistan's security forces released his wife, four children and other relatives, who had been in their custody for the last four weeks.
Later in the day, a radio broadcast from one of Fazlullah's pirate stations in the Charbagh area, announced an imminent surrender.
Pakistani security sources later said Fazlullah, known as "Maulana Radio" for his charismatic broadcasts which helped the militants' rise to power in Swat, was already in custody, but his arrest would not be officially announced until early next week. They said he had been captured in the Gat Piochar area, but it remains an unconfirmed report.
Earlier, Owais Ghani, governor of the North West Frontier Province, confirmed that Fazlullah was now under siege and that his arrest was "imminent." News of Fazlullah's "capture" and the surrender of his men caused juibiliation in Swat where Taliban forces had closed 400 schools, bombed 170 schools, and terrorized music shop owners and barbers who shaved beards.
Earlier this year they executed one of the valley's most popular dancers as part of a moral crusade to drive out public entertainment.
Taliban announces surrender in Swat Valley after leader Maulana Fazlullah 'arrested' - Telegraph
