Share this story!            

Army to start Swat withdrawal next month

By Iqbal Khattak

PESHAWAR: The military will start the process of pulling out troops from Swat district from August, but complete withdrawal will not take place until the Awami National Party-led government “certifies marked change in ground situations from a security perspective”, a military source said on Thursday.

Under the May 21 peace deal with Mullah Fazlullah’s militants in Swat, the NWFP government agreed to the “gradual withdrawal” of security forces but did not provide a timeframe for the complete pullout of the army. “The army will maintain some level of army presence in Swat as long as the provincial government needs it,” the source, requesting anonymity, said.

The source said that the military was pushing the civilian government to improve its own policing system so that soldiers could be withdrawn from conflict zones. He said the army should be used as a last resort.

According to the source, the military has also offered to train several units of an elite police force in different phases. “This elite force can be ready for deployment within two months and their skills will help the army’s withdrawal,” the source said.

Referring to the military’s ‘inaction’ against suspected militants burning girls’ schools, police stations and government buildings, and killing people even after the announcement of the peace deal, the source said that the military could not take any action without approval of the provincial government.

The source said that the military was concerned about the delays in devising a national policy on confronting terrorism. He also said that the ANP government was backing the army because otherwise their rivals, the fundamentalists, would succeed.

Home | Main

Share this story!