Pakistan: Swat Taliban spokesman, 4 others held

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

ISLAMABAD — Pakistani soldiers arrested the spokesman for the Taliban in the Swat Valley and four other commanders, the military announced Friday, striking its first major blow against the leadership of the insurgency in the one-time tourist resort.

The army did not say when the men were arrested but described their detention as the result of a "successful operation" in Swat. A local newspaper quoted a militant as saying some of the men were engaged in secret peace talks with the army when they were detained. The military and the interior minister denied that.

The announcement of the arrests, coming on the eighth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the U.S., will likely please American officials who have been encouraged by recent Pakistani military gains against the Taliban.

The army launched an offensive in the scenic valley in May after the Taliban seized control of the region following a two-year reign of terror. The area lies close to Pakistan's border with Afghanistan, where al-Qaida and Taliban have long held sway.



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