Pakistani interior minister says attacks will not stop country from pursuing militants

September 21st, 2009 ISLAMABAD - A senior commander of the banned militant group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has been apprehended in northwest Pakistan's Swat region, media reports said Monday. According to sources, Nasim alias Abu Faraj, who masterminded many suicide attacks in the country, was arrested in an operation by Pakistani security forces, GEO News reported.

September 14th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Security forces killed 16 more militants, at least two of them senior Taliban members, while one soldier was killed in clashes during searches in Swat on Monday, the military said in a daily update. Over 1,700 militants have been killed since Pakistani security forces launched the military operation against Taliban militants in the month of April.

September 12th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik Saturday said Islamabad will send its response to the sixth Indian dossier on the 26/11 Mumbai attacks next week. Malik, who held a meeting to review the new Indian dossier, said its examination would be completed by next week and Pakistan would then send its response, Geo TV reported.

September 11th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik Friday challenged India to a "debate" during the coming session of the UN General Assembly over the conduct of its probe into the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Talking to reporters here, Malik asked India to stop the blame game and resume talks with Pakistan.

August 24th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik said Sunday the security forces will continue their offensives against the Taliban during the holy month of Ramadan, the Online news agency reported. "We are not interested in a ceasefire," Malik said.

July 22nd, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik has urged the US to halt its drone attacks in the country, a media report said Wednesday. In an interview with a private TV Channel, Malik said all the parliamentarians and the entire nation have condemned the attacks.

July 12th, 2009 MOSCOW - Thirteen militants have been killed in special operations in Russia's North Caucasus region between Saturday night and Sunday morning, authorities said. Eight militants have been killed in different places in restive Chechen republic, while five were gunned down in neighbouring republic of Daghestan, the interior ministries of the republics said.

July 8th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - A suspected US missile strike on a Taliban bastion in north-western Pakistan killed at least eight militants Wednesday, an intelligence official said. Six missiles fired allegedly by US Predator drones at around 1.30 a.m.

July 4th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The military operation in northwest Pakistan is not against any tribal group but targets the Taliban led by Baitullah Mehsud, Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said, stressing that the government has not signed any peace deal with the militants. He added that there is a need for cooperation between the federal and provincial governments to eliminate the menace of terrorism completely.

July 1st, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik said senior Taliban leader Maulana Fazlullah has been seriously injured in fighting in the Swat Valley. In an interview with BBC, Malik said the Taliban militants are currently on the run, but the Pakistani forces will soon capture them.

May 23rd, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said Saturday that terrorists might carry out retaliatory attacks in the country as they have suffered heavy losses in the wake of the military offensives in North West Frontier Province (NWFP). "There are intelligence reports that terrorists can carry out attacks in any part of the country as reaction," Gilani told reporters in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province.

May 18th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistani Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said that the Taliban have spent huge sums of money to lure youths to carry out suicide attacks in the country. He said: 'They (Taliban) bought youths from the poor families in half a million to 2.5 million rupees (about $30,802) for suicide attacks.' The Taliban want to weaken the country, Malik told reporters after visiting relief camps in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP).

February 25th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Taliban leader Mullah Omar has asked Pakistani militants to halt attacks on Pakistani forces, media reports said Tuesday. In a letter to the leaders of the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militants, Mullah Mohammad Omar, the head of the ousted Taliban regime, said that fighting fellow Muslims was not jihad, The News reported.

January 27th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has no agreement with the US that allowed drone attacks inside its territory, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Wednesday. 'There is no understanding between Pakistan and the United States on predator attacks,' said Muhammad Sadiq in response to the statement by US Defence Secretary Robert Gates that US would continue such attacks against militants and that Pakistan was aware of this.

January 23rd, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan is willing to amend its laws to enable it prosecute its nationals responsible for terror acts outside the country and is also prepared to share intelligence with India to prevent the recurrence of Mumbai-style attacks, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said. Since the present statute doesn't apply to people who have committed offences outside Pakistan, 'if somebody is out of country and is guilty, then certainly we have to look in to our own laws as well', Gilani told the Financial Times in an interview published Saturday.