Pakistan rebels display hostages

[dabong1]

Pakistan rebels display hostages
By Syed Shoaib Hasan
BBC News, South Waziristan



A militant with a Taleban flag on a captured army vehicle
Pro-Taleban militants in Pakistan say the government is showing little urgency in securing the release of some 280 captured soldiers.

The militants captured them in the South Waziristan tribal region more than a month ago.

The BBC has been given exclusive access to the militants and the soldiers. The rebels are demanding the military withdraw from the area.

The US says the area is a haven for pro-Taleban and Al Qaeda fighters.

"We are very serious about the matter and want to resolve it peacefully," Zulfiqar Mehsud, a spokesman for militant leader Baitullah Mehsud told the BBC from the rebels' base near the border with Afghanistan.


"As far as the government's response is concerned it is better to ask them about it, but I believe they have several reasons for not being serious."

He said one was the political crisis in Islamabad over the presidential election.

He also said the government would be trying harder if one of the kidnapped soldiers "was the son or relative of a general or minister".

Surrounded

The militants also brought three of the soldiers to a walled compound to give the first accounts how they had been captured.

The soldiers did not want to talk but were pressurised by the Taleban to do so.

The commanding officer, Col Zafar, told the BBC that pro-Taleban tribesmen had stopped his convoy while he was taking supplies to remote army camps.

He said his superior officers instructed him to wait while they negotiated with the militant leadership.

This took more than four hours. By then the soldiers realised they were surrounded and it was too late to resist.

The soldiers said they have been treated well so far.

They were not aware that three of their comrades have already been killed by the militants in a move to put pressure on the government to accede to their demands.

The want the release of around 30 jailed comrades.

They also want the army to pull its troops out of their area, so they can freely cross the border to fight alongside Taleban insurgents in Afghanistan.

The capture of the soldiers was a major blow to the Pakistani army which is having to deal with lowering morale among its troops.


BBC NEWS | World | South Asia | Pakistan rebels display hostages

 

[IceCold]

Wasnt these people freed or am i mixing up things here. These people belong to the FC and they surrended without putting up a fight. Later it was told that they are being released. It seems they havent been released yet if this report is ture. BBC given special access i highly doubt it specially in an area where they are considered an enemy.

 

[IceCold]

Do we have the same kind of policy as the US does which states that we will not negociate with terrorists.

 

[fatman17]

Musharraf needs to get very serious here. i appreciate his liberal bent but here there is only one way - kill the rebels - the armed forces need to resolve this issue of 280 troops (FC or otherwise) now. negotiating will not work with these people.

 

[IceCold]

I think it is just this one tribe mehsud tribe which is causing problems for pakistan since they have support of foreign hands, why cant just one full operation on the extent of lal masjid be iniciated against them? Rather waiting for them to hit us, we call on the jirga tell them the whole solution,i'm sure they know what is going on, launch a full scale military operation with the help of PAF and artillery against this paticular tribe and throw their *** out of pakistan once and for all.

 

[dabong1]

"We are very serious about the matter and want to resolve it peacefully," Zulfiqar Mehsud, a spokesman for militant leader Baitullah Mehsud told the BBC from the rebels' base near the border with Afghanistan.

I think the way out this whole sorry mess is to negotiate the release of these security personnel with the mehsud tribesman.

 

[F.O.X]

It is an old news, the 280 men were freed.

Regards
Wilco

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

This is a tricky situation.

Negotiations will only make things worse since it will set a precedence.

On the other hand, if action is taken, there is a chance that those captured maybe killed.

One wonders how the families of the people captured will feel if they are killed because of govt action on these terrorists.

The issue of attack and minimising the chances of those captured being killed by the terrorists in retaliation will depend on the terrain and the layout of the area where those captured are being kept.

Negotiations should not be done.

A tough call!

 

[Officer of Engineers]

Negotiations should not be done.

Sir,

Negotiations are necessary if for nothing else to buy time and collect intelligence.

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

Sir,

Negotiations are necessary if for nothing else to buy time and collect intelligence.

I agree on that.

But too much of time should not be wasted.

 

[dabong1]

It is an old news, the 280 men were freed.

Regards
Wilco

I have heard on number of times that men where set free only to later find out they had not.
Are you sure they have been released?

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

I don't think they have, but the comments of the colonel are telling - they indicate that the Army was fully abiding by the "accord" it had with the militants, having its men hold fire while negotiations took place. That good faith was betrayed and ever more increasing demands are now being made.

"We will not tolerate the presence of any armed men other than our own in our territory."

This has become an unacceptable condition. To accept this means to damn the Tribal areas to a medieval hell.

 

[blain2]

Its not being accepted. The Army is turning up the heat on the militants courtesy Op Al-Mizan. In the coming days, more action will be taken. As suspected and stated in earlier threads about the abduction, the troops were surrounded when they came upon a road under construction. No bullets were fired because the negotiations were taking place and eventually the troops were broken up into smaller parties and captured.

Don't really blame the officers or the troops for this mess. The urdu interviews of the officers are more revealing at BBC Urdu.

 

[yarmook]

I think lethal measures is a need for mehsud tribe, but first bring them on desk negotiate with them.

Sign a peace deal with them.

Infiltrate them with some intelligence agents who should be working independently with one agenda is to mould them down.

Keep on buying there men. Divide there tribe with a good strong scheme.

Evacuate maximum number of troops officers and sepoys equally through negotiations.

Gather geo and demographical intelligence.

Execute, swift sudden and rapid operation.

Kill and run operation.

SSG should be prepared to take hands on with suicide bombers if in case during operation.

During an operation ONE AGENDA, Max HITS AND KILLS. But NO COMPROMISE ON LOSSES of people involved in operation. The operation will have to be very very swift. Donot allow them time to respond. Kill them in there hide outs.

MAY ALLAH BRING THESE SOLDIERS IN ONE PIECE IF THEY ARE STILL OUT THERE. AMEN

 

[dabong1]

Its not being accepted. The Army is turning up the heat on the militants courtesy Op Al-Mizan. In the coming days, more action will be taken. As suspected and stated in earlier threads about the abduction, the troops were surrounded when they came upon a road under construction. No bullets were fired because the negotiations were taking place and eventually the troops were broken up into smaller parties and captured.

Don't really blame the officers or the troops for this mess. The urdu interviews of the officers are more revealing at BBC Urdu.

Any chance of a translation of all the main points?