[R-G] Pakistan to arm village militias to fight terror

[Anthony Fenton]

Pakistan to arm village militias to fight terror

By ASIF SHAHZAD – 1 hour ago

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The local government will distribute 30,000 rifles to  
villagers to help security forces fight the growing strength of  
Taliban and al-Qaida militants in Pakistan's North West Frontier  
Province, a top official said Sunday.

Similar village militias, backed by the United States, have been  
credited with reducing violence in Iraq, and a comparable initiative  
was under way in Afghanistan.

Pakistan has been trying to allay U.S. concerns that peace talks with  
Taliban militants in the region were tantamount to surrender. But it  
was unclear if the embattled North West Frontier Province government's  
plan had the backing of national leaders or the army.

Haider Khan Hoti, chief minister of the provincial government, said  
authorities would distribute the guns among "peaceful groups and  
individuals" so they could help police to guard their villages.

Officials would consult with local police before handing out the arms  
and would take them back if they were not used against "terrorists and  
mischief mongers," Hoti's office said in a written statement.

The statement said the guns had been seized from "terrorists and anti- 
state elements."

It did not say when the weapons would be handed out, or if villagers  
would be armed in the province's Swat valley, where security forces  
and Taliban militants are observing a week-old cease-fire while  
seeking a peace accord.

Pakistan army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said the army had not  
been consulted about arming village militias. Interior Ministry  
spokesman Shahidullah Baig was also unaware of the plan.

A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy could not be immediately reached for  
comment.