Pakistani militants capture police stations as fighting continues

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Militants said Saturday they captured two police stations in northwest Pakistan that has increasingly fallen under the control of Taliban and al-Qaida-linked extremists, bringing further embarrassment to President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's beleaguered government. A flag was hoisted over one of the buildings, abandoned by officers in Swat valley, a region that has been plagued by intense fighting between paramilitary security forces and militant supporters of a pro-Taliban cleric, said Sirajuddin, speaking on behalf of the insurgents. Hours later, militants took control of a second police post 10 kilometers (6 miles) to the north, after convincing 60 officers to leave and then locking the doors to prevent against looting of weapons, said Mian Rasool Shah, a Taliban commander in the area.