Taliban try to spread fighting in Pakistani tribal belt

[Turborama]

Source: The Guardian

Al-Qaida training Taliban for suicide attacks and assaults aimed at diverting Pakistani forces from Swat valley battle, army says

Declan Walsh in Peshawar

Taliban militants backed by al-Qaida trainers are stepping up a campaign of violent destabilisation across Pakistan's tribal belt to divert forces from the battle in the Swat valley, a senior Pakistani commander said today. "They are trying but it's not significant enough for us to divert our attention," said Major General Tariq Khan, the commander of the 50,000-strong Frontier Corps, speaking to the Guardian at his Peshawar headquarters.

The Taliban has launched suicide attacks and heavy assaults on security installations in the tribal belt along the Afghan border in recent days.

On Sunday, 200 militants swarmed an outpost in Mohmand tribal agency, south-east of Swat, triggering a gun battle that killed 25 militants and wounded 11 Frontier Corps soldiers, Khan said. Moments later, a phone call brought news of another attack: a suicide bomber had just rammed his car into a checkpost at Dara Adam Khel, a tribal town 15 miles away. Two Frontier Corps troops and six civilians, including a six-year-old girl, were killed, police said.

The Taliban were being trained by foreign mercenaries linked to al-Qaida, Khan said. "They are experts in IEDs , sniper fire and explosives. Mostly Tajiks and Uzbeks, basically. They get paid for their expertise," he said.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/may/11/taliban-pakistan-swat-tribal-belt