Pakistan frees 12 militants
China Daily | Updated: 2009-03-09 07:41
MINGORA, Pakistan: Pakistani authorities have released 12 Taliban militants in a bid to consolidate a pact struck last month with Islamists in the troubled northwestern Swat valley, a senior government official said yesterday.
Their release is likely to deepen concerns among Western countries which say the policy of making pacts with Islamists is tantamount to appeasement and emboldens the militants.
US officials fear the deal in Swat may create another safe haven for Al-Qaida and the Taliban on Pakistani soil.
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