26 April,2009 01:12 PM IST | | PTI
Some heavily armed Taliban militants who entered the strategic Buner district near the Pakistani capital from Swat valley are still in the area despite a deal with local authorities for their withdrawal, a media report said on Sunday.
About 10 per cent of the hundreds of Taliban who came to Buner from Swat are still present in the area while the local Taliban from the district are patrolling some parts of the district, Geo News channel quoted its sources as saying today.
Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan had yesterday claimed that all the militants from Swat had withdrawn from Buner, located 100 km from Islamabad. He also said the local Taliban of Buner would remain in the area.
Taliban fighters began pulling out of Buner yesterday after the Pakistan Army began preparing for possible operations against them. Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani warned that his force would root out terrorism and not allow militants to dictate terms to the government.
Meanwhile, security forces today arrested two persons and seized 475 kg of explosives and 450 fuses from them in Swabi district, which is located near Buner.
Though routine activities are gradually resuming in Buner, courts in the district continue to be closed, causing problems for hundreds of people. Markets have reopened and business activity too has resumed.
About 300 paramilitary Frontier Constabulary troops have been sent to Buner to restore order. They have been deployed at police stations which had been occupied by the Taliban.
Hundreds of Taliban militants entered Buner earlier this month and set up check posts, barred women from public places and asked people not to indulge in what they described as 'un-Islamic activities'.
They also seized property, looted dozens of vehicles from government and NGO offices and closed all civil courts.
