Mingora, Apr 6: Around 100 armed Taliban militants have entered Buner district from the Swat Valley and stationed themselves at Gokand Dara, spreading unrest among dwellers.

Taliban militants came in around a dozen luxurious vehicles, entering the Gokand Valley and occupied several hujras in different villages. Some local supporters who are associated with different religious groups joined them.

An emergency jirga was convened in Buner to discuss the evolving situation and it was decided to resist the Taliban. Announcements are being made through loudspeakers and thousands of people from all over Buner came out with arms and rushed towards the Gokand Valley.

The jirga has decided to send a team of the banned Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat Muhammadi (TNSM) to Gokand to convince the Taliban for retreat. The local people have said they would attack them.

Police and armed civilians have taken up positions in Bhangra area to stop the Taliban from moving further into the district, the Daily Times reports.

However, the Taliban said they meant no harm to the people of Buner, adding that they had come to make a peace deal with the people of Shal Bandai.

The local administration has also deployed heavy contingents of police in Bagra and cordoned off certain hujras where the militants are camping.

The jirga warned the militants of stern action if they didn’t leave the area by 10:00 a. m. on Monday. It is worth mentioning here that Taliban have been repulsed by local people twice since November 2007. (ANI)