Pakistan "thins out" troops in Waziristan for pact

By Saad Khan

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistan has begun shifting troops from parts of the South Waziristan region and swapped prisoners with the militants in an effort to make peace with an al Qaeda-linked commander, officials said on Wednesday.

The new government has been trying to make peace with Baituallah Mehsud, who leads the Taliban in Pakistan, through ethnic Pashtun tribal elders since it took power last month after the country suffered its bloodiest-ever phase of attacks.

But the peace bid has raised questions, especially among Pakistan's Western allies with troops in Afghanistan who say similar deals in the past merely gave the militants a free hand to regroup and plot violence in Afghanistan and beyond.

The latest talks stalled late last month after the government rejected a militant demand for troops to get out of the region which has long been regarded as a safe haven for al Qaeda and the Taliban.

But a senior government official said on Wednesday troops were being "thinned out" in at least two parts of South Waziristan to pave the way for an agreement.

"The troops have started thinning out from the Kotkay and Spinkai Raghzai areas," said the official based in the northwest who declined to be identified.

"We hope to formalize the agreement in two or three days."

The military said troop positions were being adjusted and the government would decide on whether to pull troops out of South Waziristan, depending on the outcome of the negotiations.

"The army has decided to readjust present positions and open various roads ... for the return of the civil population," a military spokesman said.

Intelligence officials said militants freed 12 soldiers taken prisoner by them in return for the release of 31 comrades by the government as part of the pact.

Another security official said a "verbal agreement" had already reached between the two sides.

NOTORIOUS

Mehsud has emerged over the past year as Pakistan's most notorious militant commander, blamed for a wave of suicide attacks across the country including the one that killed former prime minister Benazir Bhutto in December.

Mehsud denied involvement in Bhutto's murder.

The proposed agreement with Mehsud calls for an end to militant activity, an exchange of prisoners and the gradual withdrawal of troops from the region.