Pakistan offers $5 mn for information on Taliban leaders

October 25th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke has said that it is too early to term the Pakistan Army's on-going offensive against the Taliban in South Waziristan, a 'success', and that there is no 'definitive information' regarding it. Interacting with media person during a special briefing on the current situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Holbrooke said Washington has no 'definitive information' regarding the South Waziristan military offensive.

October 9th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Perturbed by the recent remarks of US Deputy Chief of Mission Gerald Feierstein, that top Al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders, including the one-eyed Taliban chief Mullah Omar are presently hiding in Quetta, Pakistan has asked the US diplomat to avoid discussing intelligence issues in media. Sources said Feierstein was summoned by the Foreign Office and was told not to discuss important issues in public.

September 28th, 2009 LAHORE - Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has admitted that his government's secret agreement with the Taliban had backfired. The Daily Times quoted Musharraf, as saying that the Taliban had misled his administration.

August 13th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke says Pakistan Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud's elimination last week was a "very big deal" in terms of security efforts in Pakistan. "The end of Baitullah Mehsud, as we all know, is a very big deal," he said Wednesday, citing reports of "disarray among his people, of other factions manoeuvring" following the apparent death of the Taliban leader in a missile strike.

August 8th, 2009 LAHORE - After the killing of dreaded militant commander Baitullah Mehud, the US may now seek to get more cooperation from the Pakistan Government in hunting down Taliban leaders who are based in the country, but conduct most of their attacks in Afghanistan, according to analysts. The report said the drone strike that apparently the killed Pakistan Taliban chief on Wednesday "could not have pleased US officials more, since Mehsud led an army of 20,000 Taliban who were more focused on overthrowing the government than on returning Taliban rule to Afghanistan".

July 8th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The subsequent release of Lashkar-e-Toiba's (LeT) chief Hafeez Muhammad Saeed, the hardcore Lal Masjid cleric Maulana Abdullah Aziz, and now the Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammed (TNSM) chief Sufi Mohammad has cast serious doubts over Pakistan's claims that it is seriously acting against the Taliban and other home grown terror outfits, a senior US intelligence official said. The United States is worried and at the same time skeptical over Pakistan's claims about cracking down on certain banned terror outfits.

July 3rd, 2009 11 dead in suspected US missile strike in PakistanISLAMABAD — Pakistani intelligence officials say 11 people were killed in a suspected U.S. missile strike in northwest Pakistan.

July 3rd, 2009 Intel officials: suspected US missile strike in NWISLAMABAD — Pakistani intelligence officials say suspected U.S. missiles have hit a Taliban target in northwest Pakistan.

May 28th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The government in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP) has announced cash rewards worth millions of rupees for information leading to the arrests of 21 feared Taliban militants roaming freely in the country, a media report said Thursday. Provincial Information Minister Mian Iftikhar made the announcement late Wednesday for the arrests of 21 high-ranking militants belonging to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) group, Geo TV said.

May 24th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The Taliban has threatened Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and other top Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP) leaders, saying they would face dire consequences if the military offensive is not discontinued immediately. In a letter to the PPP Information Secretary Fouzia Wahab, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) warned that the country's leadership would be targeted if the operation against them is not stopped.

May 17th, 2009 PESHAWAR - Pakistan intelligence authorities have claimed arresting a son of the Taliban's Swat chapter spokesperson Muslim Khan. According to sources, Mudassir,Khan's son, was arrested while he was trying to appear in a recruitment examination for a post in the Airport Security Force (ASF).

May 5th, 2009 ATARI - India-bound passengers on board the India-Pakistan Samjhauta Express train commented on the dominance of Taliban in Pakistan. Passengers said that the fear of Taliban is on the minds of the people in Pakistan.

April 30th, 2009 LAHORE - The Pakistan Army is afraid that its entire force would disintegrate if it orders the rank and file to fire and counter the Taliban in a more serious manner, according to a senior Obama Administration official. Bruce Riedel, who chaired the Obama administration's recent review of policy towards Afghanistan and Pakistan, expressed concern about whether the Pakistani Army would be willing to kill large numbers of Taliban militants.

April 24th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The political fraternity in Pakistan is worried about reports of the Taliban moving closer to Islamabad. Members of the National Assembly have demanded that the on-going session of the house be extended and a summons be issued to Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General (DG) Lt.

April 9th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - After establishing their writ over the Swat Valley, the Taliban is looking to take Islamabad under its grip. According to The Nation, a Taliban commander has warned that the outfit would take their war to the capital city to retaliate against the continuous US drone strikes against them.