Pro-Taliban militants said on Sunday that they had scrapped a controversial peace accord reached with the government last year. "We are ending the agreement today," the Taliban Shoora (Taliban Council) said in pamphlets distributed in Miranshah.
The government in September signed a peace agreement with tribal leaders in the region, following assurances that the tribesmen would hunt down foreign militants. The Council leaders released the statement on Sunday to protest new troop movements, amid sharply heightened tensions after last week's army attack on the Lal Masjid.
Sunday's pamphlets said tribal elders would refuse dialogue with authorities, who had failed to pull back troops from up to 25 checkpoints.
"We had signed the agreement for the safety and protection of the life and property of our people," the statement said. "But the government forces continued to launch attacks on the Taliban and have killed a number of people.
"The decision we are taking today is in the interest of the people." The statement also warned local members of the tribal police and militia against taking part in any official duty with army and paramilitary forces, saying they would be held "responsible for the consequences."
Miransha residents said about 100 local families had left the town, fearing clashes, and that its main bazaar was deserted, while families of government employees had left their homes in the rugged mountain area.