Taliban Threaten to Attack, Stop Talks in Pakistan

The move made a break with the new coalition government's policy of pursuing peace deals with the Taliban and withdrawing troops. In response, Baitullah Mehsud, the Pakistani Taliban commander allegedly behind scores of suicide bombings across the country last year, has threatened more violence as far away as the provinces of Punjab and Sindh.

The Frontier Corps, a regional paramilitary force, smashed at least four militant centres in Bara, on the edge of the Khyber tribal region, under the control of Mangal Bagh, the leader of the militant group Lashkar-i-Islam. A propaganda radio station was knocked out and "torture cells" were discovered by troops. The government decided to act after a string of incidents triggered public anxiety about a push towards Peshawar, the capital of the north west frontier province and a strategic city suffused with history from the Raj, the Cold War and the rise of the Taliban.

Over recent weeks, a flurry of accounts emerged of kidnappings, intimidation of DVD shop owners and barbers, militant forays into Peshawar suburbs, and residents' alarm at the prospect of a Taliban takeover.

One soldier from the Royal Regiment of Scotland was killed on Saturday when he trod on a landmine while on patrol in the Lashkar Gar area.

He was killed instantly and his next-of-kin have been informed. The death follows that of Warrant Officer Dan Shirley, 32, of the Royal Logistic Corps, who was killed on Friday when his vehicle overturned. He was on patrol when the accident happened.

Warrant Officer Shirley leaves two young children. His commanding officer led tributes to him today.

Lieutenant Colonel R J McNeil OBE said: "The loss of WO2 Dan Shirley has come as a huge shock to every member of the Regiment.

"He was known to all and universally respected. More than that, he was liked and admired. He was a perfect role model for young soldiers. He was fit, irrepressibly enthusiastic and superbly professional.

"WO2 Shirley served as a member of the Parachute Regiment for 12 years before becoming a member of the Army Physical Training Corps. He was fiercely proud of being a soldier and his love of the job shone through in everything he did.

"In Afghanistan he ran the Regimental Training Wing, where he devoted his seemingly limitless energy to teaching others how to defend themselves and avoid danger. It was a role he often took out onto the ground and he was on patrol, protecting others, when a tragic accident claimed his life.

"Our thoughts and sympathies are now with WO2 Shirley's family and with his two young children. He will be deeply mourned. His memorial will be the skills that he imparted. They have already saved lives and will save more. This is a fitting tribute to an extraordinary soldier."

In recent weeks, militants have been tightening their hold on villages and towns on the outskirts of the city, capital of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP). Truckloads of Taliban fighters armed with automatic weapons have been entering the city, threatening video store owners and others in a "moral crackdown". A number of residents have also been abducted for ransom.

Pakistan's new government had been seeking to broker peace with the militants – a tactic that has drawn criticism from the US and Nato forces in Afghanistan. But with the threat to Peshawar apparently growing, the authorities made the decision to push extra troops into the area and to launch a series of mortar strikes against suspected militant positions in the Khyber tribal region.

Tauseef Haider, a senior official with the Frontier Corps, said his forces had brought in reinforcements and heavy weapons to protect Peshawar against a possible counter-attack by militants. "Since the operation is going on in the tribal area, that is why we have to be extra cautious," he told the Associated Press. "We have increased our strength. We will not let any militant come this way."

Officials said the threat from the Pakistani Taliban had been growing steadily worse. Two weeks ago a group of militants from Khyber entered Peshawar and kidnapped 16 Christians, whom they later released.

"The situation is such that the Taliban are all around Peshawar. They are on our doorstep," said Mahmood Shah, a former security chief in the tribal regions. "The situation is like water flowing into a field, and until you have some obstruction to stop it, you will drown. We are drowning."