Senior aide to Pakistani Taliban commander surrenders

Описание: (22 Feb 2010) SHOTLIST
1. Wide of Khar in the Bajur region of Pakistan
2. Various of security checking those taking part in Jirga (gathering)
3. Mid of security in post during Jirga
5. Wide of men seated at gathering
6. SOUNDBITE: (Pashto) Salar Mehsud, former aide to Pakistan Taliban commander:
"All the demands in this agreement are that ''we will take you wherever you want to go, but you have to make sure that you will not distort the image of our area and you will do everything with our consultation''."
7. Mid of gathering
8. SOUNDBITE: (Pashto) Mohmmad Jamil, APA (assistant political agent): ++over-the-shoulder shot++
"It is our (Pashtuns'') weakness that whatever the Mullahs told us - we believed and did not think from our own minds."
9. Various of militants handing over weapons to the authorities
10. Militant taking an oath over Quran, UPSOUND (Pashto): "I will not support the TTP (Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan - umbrella group of pro-Taliban groups) morally and financially"
11. Mid of security in compound
12. SOUNDBITE: (Pashto) Salar Mehsud, former aide to Pakistan Taliban commander:
"My name is Salar Mehsud, you can see we are present here with some six to seven hundred people, of which some 40 to 50 people surrendered, as we will not support them (the TTP) and will ensure peace in the area, Pakistan is our country we will defend it and will not spread terrorism here in this area."
13. Mehsud handing over his weapon to the authorities
14. Surrendered men marking peace agreement with thumb print
15. Pakistani soldier checking weapon handed over by militant
16. Surrendered rifles on ground
17. People walking on road, some carrying weapons
18. People walking away
19. Various of vehicles driving away
20. Wide of landscape
STORYLINE
A local government official says a top aide to a Pakistani Taliban commander has surrendered to authorities.
Salar Mehsud and 17 other militants gave themselves up late on Sunday to authorities in the Bajur region of the northwestern tribal area on the border with Afghanistan where a Pakistani military offensive is targeting militants.
Mehsud was a close aide of Bajur Taliban chief Faqir Mohammad, though Pakistan media reports said the two had recently fallen out and had begun fighting each other.
Local government official Jamil Khan said on Monday that Mehsud''s surrender was the first by a Taliban commander since the military operation in Bajur began 18 months ago.
AP Television showed a man, calling himself Salar Mehsud, and others surrendering their weapons at a jirga or gathering in Khar on Sunday.
Mehsud said 40 to 50 men had surrendered and now wanted to ensure peace in the region.
"Pakistan is our country will defend it and will not spread terrorism here in this area," he said.

Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter:   / ap_archive  
Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​
Instagram:   / apnews  


You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...