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Taliban Declares Ceasefire in Pakistan Valley

Militants begin peace talks with government, warn of retaliation

By the Associated Press

Posted Feb 15, 2009 10:08 AM CST

(AP) – The Taliban declared a 10-day ceasefire in a Pakistani valley and freed a Chinese hostage today after it began peace talks with the government, but an abducted American remains missing. The militants called the move a goodwill gesture, as its sympathizers and government officials discuss introducing elements of Islamic law in Swat Valley and nearby areas.

“But we reserve the right to retaliate if we are fired upon,” a Taliban spokesman warned. Previous negotiations have collapsed, and a Swat retread could reignite Washington criticism that such deals only buy time for militants. Swat, once a tourist haven, has seen a sharp uptick in attacks on foreigners, including last week's kidnapping of an American UN official.

[Images (5)]

[Videos (1)]

In this photo released by China's official Xinhua news agency, Chinese engineer Long Xiaowei, who was released Saturday in northwestern Pakistan, calls back to China through a cell phone, at the Chinese... (Li Jingchen)

Chinese engineer Long Xiaowei, who was released Saturday in northwestern Pakistan, arrived at the Chinese embassy in Islamabad at the Chinese embassy in Islamabad, on Sunday February 15, 2009. (Li Jingchen)

This is an image from mobile phone footage released by Online Photos Friday Feb. 13 2009, purportedly showing John Solecki, a seized American U.N. worker. (AP Photo/Online Photos via APTN)

Gunmen kidnapped John Solecki and killed his driver in southwestern Pakistan on Monday, underscoring the security threat in a country wracked by al-Qaeda violence and rising criminality. (AP Photo/Arshad Butt, file)

In this image made from a video handed to an AP reporter in northwest Pakistan on Sunday Feb. 9, 2009, a Polish hostage sits between two masked men, before apparently being beheaded with a knife. (AP Photo/APTN)

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Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari tells Steve Kroft how and why the Taliban managed to gain strength inside the country. (Watch CBS Videos Online)

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Taliban Declares Ceasefire in Pakistan Valley