ISLAMABAD
The spokesman for a key Taliban-affiliated militant group has surrendered to security forces, officials claimed Monday.
Lashkar-e-Islam's Saifullah Said surrendered along with his aides and a group of fighters according to Shahab Ali Shah, the public administrator for the northwestern Khyber Agency tribal region.
“What I can tell you for the moment is that the security forces have been successfully clearing the area of militants. I will give you the specific figures (of those who have surrendered) at the next press conference,” said Shah.
It is rare that details of such surrenders are given or for militants to be produced publicly, which has caused local journalists to doubt the public administration's claims.
Khyber Agency is one of seven semi-autonomous tribal regions along northwestern Pakistan's border with Afghanistan and has been a battleground between security forces and the Taliban since 2002.
The Pakistan army is currently engaged in the Khyber-One operation in the area, in an attempt to eradicate the Taliban-backed Lashkar-e-Islam. The operation is an extension of a larger army push against militants in the northwestern tribal areas, which began on June 15.
www.aa.com.tr/en
