War: Pakistan: Pakistani irregular forces in/near Swat Valley aligned actively against Taliban

The Pakistani English-language press is taking notice of tribal irregular forces who have their own complaints against "the Americans," but who are effectively f+ting the Taliban who have recently tried to take the Swat Valley and then to move on into neiboring districts.

Tribal lashkars pushing Taliban back

* Military says lashkars effectively helping to eliminate Taliban
* Lashkar members praise US for democracy but hate its interference in other countries

Daily Times Monitor, Pakistan

LAHORE: Volunteers as young as 16-year-old Akbar Zaid have joined tribal militias to push back the Taliban from their areas, and have vowed to help the military fight the terrorists, a report by CNN said on Friday.

"I'm doing it for peace," Zaid said, who wants to be a teacher.

Military officials credit the militias, locally called lashkars, with helping chase the Taliban out of Swat and neighbouring districts that were once their terror kingdoms.

"By their nature, they're very tough," Pakistani army Major Hasnain Shah said of these lashkars. "They're sacrificing their lives just to protect their own values and to help us out," CNN quoted Shah.

One of these lashkars, the Soltan Kheil lashkar, is made up of 500 gunmen from Lower Dir. The group says they protect their villages against the Taliban fighters in the bordering Swat valley.

The men, having rugged faces and chapped hands and most have rifles strapped across their shoulders.

Asked what they liked most about the US, one said, "It's a democracy."

"They like peace in their country," said another.

But they abhor the fact that the US was “cruel to Muslims" and “interferences with other countries".

"They promote peace within their borders, but they're against peace in other countries," another told CNN.

The lashkar's headquarters are perched atop a mountain range. Swat is to the east and Lower Dir to the west.

"This is the main passing point," said Malik Zaib Khan, the lashkar’s leader. “If we left it open, the Taliban can easily go back and forth."

The fighters go without pay and without their families and a member, Azizul Rehman, said he had not seen his four daughters and two wives in a month. "We're trying to stop the Taliban and establish peace," he said.

These damn wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, a solid beam of l+te woud be most appreciated these days. -- Politicarp