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THE STANS
Pakistani Taliban refuse to extend ceasefire, will continue talks
by Staff Writers
Miranshah, Pakistan (AFP) April 16, 2014


MPs criticise British military over fatal Taliban attack
London (AFP) April 16, 2014 - British lawmakers said military commanders had been complacent in a deadly 2012 Taliban attack on their base in Afghanistan, in which two US marines were killed.

The House of Commons Defence Committee, a cross-party panel of MPs, said in a report published Wednesday that protection measures around the perimeter of Camp Bastion had been "inadequate".

Their report said "insufficient attention" had been paid to defending the sprawling base in the southern Helmand province.

The assault on Camp Bastion in September 2012 was one of the most brazen in Afghanistan by the hardline Taliban insurgents.

Fifteen Taliban commandos, armed with suicide vests, guns and rockets and wearing US uniforms, breached the perimeter wall. Fourteen were killed and the surviving insurgent was captured.

The US Camp Leatherneck is within the complex. Two US marines were killed, eight others wounded and six US Harrier fighter jets were destroyed with grenades.

The US Marine Corps commandant sacked two generals in October last year in response to the attack.

Britain's Prince Harry, fourth in line to the throne, was at the base at the time, serving as an army attack helicopter pilot. He was about two kilometres (over one mile) away and was moved to a guarded location as the battle unfolded.

"The arrangements for manning of the guard towers around the perimeter of Camp Bastion were exposed by the attack as inadequate," the MPs' report said.

It said the decision not to man one particular tower "contributed directly to the failure to detect the insurgents at an early stage which might have limited the impact of their assault".

"Insufficient attention was given to the fundamental requirement of defending Camp Bastion from external assault.

"We believe that this was complacent.

"Given that the attack took place in the British sector of the camp, British commanders must bear a degree of responsibility for these systemic failures and associated reputational damage."

The report said Britain's Ministry of Defence had been "obstructive and unhelpful" as the lawmakers tried to establish the facts.

Chairman James Arbuthnot said the committee was satisfied that, as far as possible, the vulnerabilities which led to the attack had been addressed.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said lessons had been learned.

"Commanders in the field have to prioritise resources against potential threats in theatre and at the time a threat to Camp Bastion was considered to be lower than to other International Security Assistance Force assets in Helmand," he said.

"UK commanders have identified and acted upon all lessons following the attack."

Britain has around 5,200 troops in Afghanistan, based at Bastion. All foreign combat forces are being withdrawn by the end of the year.

The Pakistani Taliban Wednesday said they would not extend a ceasefire called to help peace negotiations with the government, but insisted they were still committed to the talks process.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) announced a one-month ceasefire at the start of March as the government sought a negotiated end to their bloody seven-year insurgency.

The TTP extended the ceasefire to April 10, but complained there had been "complete silence" from the government since then and hinted that the military was trying to thwart talks.

"TTP's central shura (council) has unanimously agreed not to extend the ceasefire," the group said in a statement.

"However, the talks process will continue with complete sincerity and seriousness, and whenever a clear development comes from the government side, the TTP will not hesitate to respond with a serious move."

The announcement comes three days after Pakistan's Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said the process was about to enter a "comprehensive" phase.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's government began negotiations with the TTP through intermediaries in February to try to end the Islamists' insurgency.

Since the TTP's fight began in 2007, more than 6,800 people have been killed in bomb and gun attacks around Pakistan, according to an AFP tally, destabilising the nuclear-armed state.

The umbrella militant group has demanded the release of what they call "non-combatant" prisoners and the establishment of a "peace zone" where security forces would not be present.

The government freed 19 tribesmen based in South Waziristan district last week and on Sunday Khan said 13 more of what he called "non-combatant Taliban" prisoners would be released to help the peace process.

South Waziristan is one of seven restive semi-autonomous areas along the Afghan border that are havens for the militants.

The TTP statement said there had been "no development" from the government on the militants' demands.

The government has also taken up the issue of the release of a senior academic -- Professor Mohammad Ajmal -- as well the sons of slain former Punjab governor Salman Taseer and former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani in return for its concessions to the TTP's demands.

- Scepticism -

Talks were a key campaign pledge for Sharif before he was elected to office for a third time last year.

But some analysts have voiced scepticism about their chances for success, given the Taliban's demands for nationwide sharia law and a withdrawal of troops from the lawless tribal zones.

Regional deals struck in the past between the military and the Taliban have failed and some have accused the militants of using them as a means to regroup and rearm.

Not all militant factions are signed up to the peace process -- a group calling itself Ahrar-ul-Hind claimed a major attack on an Islamabad courthouse just days after the ceasefire was originally announced.

Further evidence of discord within the militant ranks came last week with fierce clashes between rival TTP factions which left more than 60 people dead.

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THE STANS
Pakistan's talks with militants in comprehensive phase: minister
Islamabad (AFP) April 13, 2014
Pakistan on Sunday announced its talks with the Taliban militants to reach an accord will enter a "comprehensive" phase in days, with both sides set to put forward formal agendas, after weeks of negotiations. The announcement came from the country's Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan days after the infighting between the Taliban groups killed more than 60 people and a ceasefire deadli ... read more


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