Taliban militants in Pakistan announce 'indefinite' ceasefire

A coalition of Taliban militants in Pakistan declared an "indefinite" ceasefire today in fighting against Pakistani security forces.

Maulvi Mohammed Umar, of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, an umbrella group for militants operating in tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan, said the ceasefire was declared following talks with the government.

Pakistan army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas denied knowledge of any talks and said they had no formal communication from the militants of a ceasefire.

He said however that militants in South Waziristan had stopped firing on security forces and had retreated a little.

General Abbas said: "Since the last 48 hours or so they have stopped firing and moved a little back. We would look into this, but so far the position is the operation will continue until the time we finish off the miscreants and their hideouts and their arms and ammunitions caches."

Tehrik-e-Taliban is led by Baitullah Mehsud, who is based in the lawless South Waziristan region, which has borne the brunt of the violence. He is also blamed for a series of suicide attacks, including the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto on December 27.

Umar said: "The declaration of war we made against security forces on orders by Baitullah Mehsud. We now withdraw that for an indefinite period.

"We announce the ceasefire as a result of our talks with the government."

Umar said the ceasefire would cover the tribal regions - a lawless, semi-autonomous belt that includes North and South Waziristan - as well as in Swat, a former tourist destination where security forces have battled followers of a radical pro-Taliban cleric.

In January, Mehsud fighters launched a series of assaults on military bases in South Waziristan, underscoring the government's weak grip on a region which US officials say is a safe haven for al-Qaida.

Last week, a US missile strike killed Abu Laith al-Libi, a top al-Qaida commander, in neighbouring North Waziristan.

The recent wave of violence has pitched Pakistan deeper into turmoil as it heads toward elections on February 18 which are meant to usher back democracy after eight years of military rule.

Any agreement by Pakistan to a ceasefire would be likely to be frowned upon by its Western allies, however. A ceasefire in North Waziristan in September 2006, which collapsed the following July, was widely seen as giving Taliban and al-Qaida a freer hand to stage cross-border attacks into Afghanistan and expand their reach inside Pakistan.

US intelligence chief Mike McConnell told a Senate hearing yesterday that al-Qaida fighters had taken refuge in Pakistani tribal areas, which provide the extremists with a safe haven similar to what it enjoyed in Afghanistan before the US-led war on terror began in 2001.

Admiral Michael Mullen, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, planned to tell Congress today that the next attack on the United States would most likely be launched by al-Qaida operating in those "under-governed regions" of Pakistan.

Pakistan's government responded, saying it remained committed to the fight against Islamic extremism.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammed Sadiq told reporters that Pakistan had already made "more sacrifices than any other country" in the war against Islamic terrorism.

US officials have said they believe Osama bin Laden is hiding in the border region of Pakistan, a finding that the Pakistanis dispute.