AP: Pakistani Taliban has ordered a nationwide cease-fire
The Pakistani Taliban has ordered a nationwide cease-fire in an attempt to broker a peace deal with the government, a senior commander of the militant group anonymously told the Associated Press late Monday.
The commander, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not the official spokesperson for the Islamist group, said the cease-fire has been in effect since the start of November.
The Pakistani army denied involvement with the alleged peace-talks on Tuesday. Government officials have not made a public statement on the report. The Pakistani Taliban is an umbrella group of Islamist militants and political groups that have worked with Al Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban.
The nature of the reported talks remain unclear, as the AP reported:
“Both the army and the militants have engaged in misinformation before. Some reports have said any deal would only cover one region in the northwest, South Waziristan, but could be extended.”
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The alleged peace talks comes during America’s joint military efforts with Pakistan in eradicating the Al Qaeda network in the region and could possibly jeopardize its already-tense relations with the US.
US drone warfare have reportedly been used increasingly in Pakistan’s mountainous Waziristan region, a stronghold for militant groups. Pakistani officials have secretly agreed to use the controversial CIA-run drone program.
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