ISLAMABAD: Following the latest threat from the head of the Swati Taliban, Mulla Fazlullah, to target Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Pakistan has decided to exert further pressure on the Karzai administration for the arrest and extradition of the most wanted Taliban commander.
Fazlullah is allegedly being provided shelter and support by the governor of Kunar province as well as Afghan intelligence agencies.
According to well-placed sources in the security establishment, Fazlullah’s latest video wherein he has threatened the COAS, has confirmed the contention of the Pakistani authorities that he was using Afghan soil with the full understanding and consent of the Karzai government.
The sources said that during his recent visit to Islamabad, Pakistan had again urged President Karzai to handover Mulla Fazlullah to Islamabad besides taking effective measures on his side of the border to dismantle the jihadi infrastructure of Fazlullah’s private army. Although Afghan authorities express ignorance about Fazlullah’s presence on Afghan soil, it was in June 2012 that the Swati Taliban declared that they were using Afghanistan as a springboard to launch cross-border attacks on Pakistani forces.
“Maulana Fazlullah is leading the Swati Taliban to carry out attacks from the border provinces of Afghanistan. He is in touch with his fighters in Malakand division,” Sirajuddin, the spokesperson for the Malakand said.
Internews
