The Taliban appear to be taking control of the Buner district, only 70 miles from the capital of Pakistan, Islamabad, residents say.
Taliban leaders held a meeting with local officials and village elders in the district, agreeing on a truce, residents told The New York Times. The government agreed 10 days ago to imposition of Shariah law in Swat.
The Taliban have 400 to 500 fighters in Buner, the report said.
Two police officers were killed Thursday in the district when the Taliban ambushed a security convoy.
The officers, members of Frontier Constabulary, were killed in the Totalai area, just 60 miles from Islamabad, Dawn reported.
The newspaper said the killings could threaten the viability of a government-backed peace deal with the Taliban in northwest Pakistan.
Eight Frontier Constabulary platoons arrived Wednesday in Buner, each platoon containing 30 to 50 officers, said Syed Mohammed Javed, a government official who oversees the area covered by the peace deal, reported UPİ.
...
