WORLD> Asia-Pacific
Militants blow up another school in Pakistan
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-01-22 19:02
ISLAMABAD -- Militants blew up another school in the troubled Pakistan's Swat valley on Thursday, sparking fresh concerns over the briskly security situation in Pakistan's northwestern region.

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The Taliban militants continued their attacks on schools on Thursday and destroyed another school in Qambar area of the Swat valley of North West Frontier Province, private Geo TV channel quoted sources as saying.

The Swat valley, which used to be a scenic spot for tourists from around the world, has become a stronghold of Taliban militants led by the young cleric Maulana Fazalullah since 2007.

Fazalullah, nicknamed "Mullah Radio", owns an illegal FM radio station and has claimed imposing Shariah law, or Islamic law, in the country.  

The Taliban militants have also banned female education in Swat valley.

Officials said that Taliban have destroyed over 150 schools, mostly girls' schools, in Swat valley in several months.

Pakistan's parliament on Tuesday adopted a resolution, condemning Taliban's burning of schools and ban on girls' education.

The resolution, moved by Information Minister Sherry Rehman, said Taliban's activity is against Islam and such trend is against the country's stability.

Sherry Rehman said on Sunday that the girls' schools will be reopened on March 1 after winter break, but the Swat Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan said that schools will be allowed to open after Shariah system is introduced in Swat.

Pakistan's security forces have been fighting with the Taliban militants in Swat for about one and a half years, but worries arose that the security situation in the region remains unstable.