Cheers, Ken Hanly
Pak Taliban supporters seize northern town
ESHAWAR: Hundreds of armed pro-Taliban Pakistanis have seized a remote northern town demanding the government to stop supporting the US-led strikes on Afghanistan, witnesses said.
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The rebels, armed with rocket launchers, Kalashnikov assault rifles, handmade guns and swords, took over most government offices in Chilas about 350 km northeast of Peshawar on Sunday.
Pro-Taliban Pakistanis, meanwhile, continued their control of a portion of the key Karakoram highway for the fourth consecutive day severing northern Pakistan's links with its mighty neighbour China.
The Pakistani interior ministry said that troops were being sent to oust the rebels from the mountainous town and open the road.
The 1,200-km Karakoram highway was built along the ancient Silk Road that linked Asia with the west and connects Pakistan with Kashgar in China's northwestern Xinjiang region. It is a major trade link between Pakistan and China, though the Chinese all but sealed it after the September 11 attacks.
Hardline Muslims, specially those living along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan, are outraged by the government' decision to help the US in its war on Afghanistan's Taliban rulers. ( AP )