Via hindu.com -
Angered by Pakistan government's decision to launch an all out war against them, the Taliban has vowed to "eliminate" country's top leadership including President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and their close family members.
"We thought that being a member of a religious family, Gilani will support our demand of implementing Sharia in the Malakand division but instead he has announced an all-out war against us, which has angered our commanders as well as fighters," an unnamed Taliban commander told The News daily.
The militant commander, who spoke to the newspaper by phone, said after Gilani declared during an address to the nation on Thursday that the Taliban would be wiped out from the Swat Valley and adjoining areas, the militants had started planning to "eliminate the top leaders of the ruling alliance, including President, Prime Minister and their close family members and aides".
The commander said Gilani's hometown of Multan and tomb of former premier Benazir Bhutto might also be targeted by the militants.
"Besides, the personnel and installations of security forces, we have now also included civilian rulers in our hit list. We will definitely need some time to plan our actions but it is not impossible for us and we have all the means to implement our plan of attack anywhere in Pakistan," he claimed.
The militant commander confirmed that the chief of the outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, Baitullah Mehsud, was advising militants in Swat in their fight against the security forces. He said Mehsud had advised the Swat chapter of his group to plan attacks on civilian leaders.
Izzat Khan, spokesman for the Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariah Muhammadi, which has been negotiating with authorities on behalf of Taliban, said his group had nothing to do with the Pakistani Taliban. The TNSM believes in a peaceful struggle for implementing Shariah, he said.
Asked about the threat by militants to target the civilian leadership, Khan said he could not comment on the matter except for saying that those "fighting the security forces could do so".
Responding to a question as to why the TNSM was not renouncing militancy publicly, Khan said the government had already left his group in the lurch and it "could not afford the enmity of the Taliban by publicly renouncing militancy and fighting".
The Prime Minister called in the armed forces on Thursday to eliminate militants and terrorists who violated the peace deal in Swat and challenged the writ of his government. Over 140 militants have been killed in fresh fighting in Swat, located 160 km from Islamabad.
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