Pakistani Taliban militants announce indefinite ceasefire with Islamabad
The Pakistani Taliban has announced an indefinite ceasefire with Pakistan’s government after talks brokered by the Afghan Taliban government. The Pakistani Taliban (TTP) said substantial progress had been made at the talks in Kabul, and the truce extended until further notice. A Pakistani government official said the talks were moving in a positive direction, AFP news agency reports. The TTP has been fighting Pakistan’s armed forces for years. The TTP – Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan – wants to impose its own ultra hard-line interpretation of sharia law in Pakistani regions along the border with Afghanistan. The mountainous area has long been a hotbed of militant activity. The group has enjoyed a close but ambiguous relationship with the Afghan Taliban, reports the BBC’s Secunder Kermani in Islamabad. Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan last year, the TTP has stepped up its attacks in Pakistan, killing dozens of government soldiers in 2021.(BBC)…[+]