Word: fazlullah
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Scarcely 100 miles from the Pakistani capital, Taliban forces loyal to jihadist preacher (and former chairlift operator) Maulana Fazlullah have brutally advanced across Swat - a region once known as the "Switzerland of Asia" - capturing more than four-fifths of the plush valley. Once a choice destination for honeymooners, Swat has over the past two years seen more than 1,500 people killed, close to 200 schools destroyed and girls' education banned, scores of beheadings and kidnappings, and more than 100,000 people driven from their homes. (See pictures of Pakistan's vulnerable North-West Frontier Province...
...fired upon by militants." And if the "writ of the state is restored," the army's 12,000 troops will be withdrawn from the valley. The agreement, which enjoys the support of President Asif Ali Zardari and the army, came about after talks with Islamist leader Sufi Mohammed - Fazlullah's father-in-law and rival...
...imposing Shari'a law, Islamabad is merely bowing to what is a popular local demand. The Swat Valley was traditionally a princely state that operated its own tribal system of governance until its merger with Pakistan in 1969. One of the factors that appears to have contributed to Fazlullah's ascent was his call for a return to a Shari'a-based system that offers swift justice and, therefore, relief from what many allege is Pakistan's venal police and court system. By stealing a march on Fazlullah, the government believes that it can now stear supporters away from...
...emerged as a force in the mid-1990s, when his loyalists, sporting black turbans, seized control of buildings and courthouses before the government of then Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was able to tame the revolt and sign a truce. In late 2001, Mohammed led thousands of young men - including Fazlullah - to Afghanistan to fight the Western forces that had invaded in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Upon their return, Mohammed was arrested and imprisoned. His release last year was contingent on his disavowal of militancy and an agreement to cooperate with the government...
...center, and sealed with a clause that says that it cannot be challenged in the Supreme Court. That's a violation of the constitution. It also shows that if movements are armed and militant, you can succeed." Her fears were reinforced on Sunday night, when Muslim Khan, Fazlullah's spokesman, said that it remains the Taliban's ambition to establish their brand of Islamic law not just in Swat but throughout the world...