Pakistan Releases Terror Suspects In a ‘Gesture of Good Will’

KHAR, Pakistan — Pakistani authorities have released nine tribesmen held for more than a year on suspicion of links with the Taliban and Al Qaeda, a tribal elder and residents said yesterday.The men, who included relatives of fugitive militant leader Faqir Mohammed, were captured by Pakistani security agencies in May 2005 in the northwestern Bajur tribal region and were accused by the government of sheltering foreign militants.The men were freed Saturday “as a gesture of good will” following a meeting between government officials and elders from Bajur, the head of a council of tribal elders, Malik Abul Aziz, said.Mr. Aziz said they were “grateful” to the government for releasing the men.“We will also extend full support to the government in the war on terror,” he told a gathering of tribesmen after receiving the freed men. Khar is the main town in Bajur.Government officials did not immediately return calls seeking comment yesterday. On Saturday, a security official said a peace deal between Bajur’s elders and the government might soon be signed, but he offered no further details. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak to the press.A local resident, Mohammed Idress, said the freed men included a relative of Faqir Mohammed, Gul Mohammed, a militant leader sought by security agencies for allegedly aiding remnants of the Taliban and Al Qaeda.The release follows a September 5 peace accord between the government and elders in another tribal region, North Waziristan, that ended years of clashes between security forces and militants.Pakistan, a key ally in the fight in the American-led war on terror, has deployed 80,000 troops along its tribal regions bordering Afghanistan to hunt down militants and try to halt illegal crossings. Militants linked to Al Qaeda and the Taliban are believed to have been hiding in Bajur, where they have been blamed for attacks on security forces and tribal elders.

Pakistan Releases Terror Suspects In a ‘Gesture of Good Will’

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