Pakistani Militants Announce Truce With Pakistan, Will Focus on Fighting NATO

Groups Said to Pledge Aid to Mullah Omar

Four of the top militant factions inside Pakistan have released a statement saying that they are all pledging an end to attacks on the Pakistani government’s forces and are instead going to unite in fighting against NATO’s troops in Afghanistan.

The agreement is said to have included top leaders in various Taliban factions as well as Libyan militant Abu Yahya al-Libi, reportedly a top ally of al-Qaeda. The assorted groups have pledged to operate under the command of Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar.

The statement also warned militants to stop kidnapping Pakistanis for ransom and to stop summary executions of suspected collaborators. Pakistan’s government has yet to respond to the report.

If the statement turns out to be true, it could dramatically change the face of the conflict, taking the pressure off the Pakistani security forces in the tribal areas at a time when tensions with the US and NATO are already soaring, while upping the already massive violence in Afghanistan.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.