As a deadline approaches for tribesmen along the Afghan border to turn over any foreign militants on their lands, some Pashtuns in the area have promised to cooperate, but others are vowing no surrender. “We have always been loyal citizens of Pakistan, and we remain so,” said Malik Khandan, an elder of the Bakkakhel tribe. “There are no foreigners in our area … and we continue to speak with government representatives.” Khandan hails from the snowy peaks of the Shawal mountain region of North Waziristan, a semi-autonomous tribal agency where 4,000 to 6,000 Pakistani troops have massed in the past week to add muscle to government threats of military action if foreign fighters are not handed over by April 20. Full Story
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