Pakistani tribesmen announce to raise force for fighting US troops

Welcoming recent reports about Pakistani military leadership’s readiness to retaliate the US attacks, the tribal elders in Pakistan’s North Waziristan Agency bordering Afghanistan, where Friday’s missile strike by the US drones killed over a dozen people, on Saturday threatened to attack the foreign troops stationed in Kabul, Bagram and Kandahar areas of Afghanistan if the cross-border attacks by the US forces did not stop. A representative jirga (council) of the tribal elders held in North Waziristan reportedly announced to raise a tribal force to take on the foreign troops inside Afghanistan. The participants welcomed the statement of the Pakistani military wherein it hinted at retaliating to the US attacks and vowed to fight alongside the Pakistani forces to defend the frontiers of the country against the aggression of the US. Reports from the volatile region said the tribal elders termed the military’s statement as the voice of 170 million Pakistanis, including eight million tribesmen. They said it was a healing touch for the families of the innocent women and children killed in the US attacks in recent weeks. The tribal elders reportedly said that the US attacks inside Pakistani territory were inciting the tribesmen to fight alongside their Afghan brethren against the invaders. They vowed that the history of tribesmen, replete with the stories of bravery, valour and courage, would be repeated as they were known for keeping their independence intact. They said the history of tribesmen is full of daring struggles against powerful aggressors whenever they found a brave leader. Saying that they believed the current Pakistani military leaders have that kind of leadership qualities, they offered the military their all-out support against what they the coward aggressors, who were targeting innocent Pakistani population. The tribal elders urged the Pakistani government to protect its people and safeguard their interests instead of looking towards others for the security of the country. They asked the rulers not to turn their back to the tribesmen in this hour of trial. They vowed that they would soon contact the tribesmen on the other side the border to devise a joint strategy against the foreign troops.