Pak Taliban warns all foreigners, multinationals to leave country

A spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban has warned all foreigners and multinationals to leave the country, or face the consequences of their decision to stay on.

Shahidullah Shahid, the spokesman for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), was quoted by Newsweek Pakistan, as saying that since the Pakistan Government was not serious about peace talks and had launched Operation Zarb-e-Azb to free North Waziristan of militants, the TTP was left with no option but to respond in an equally aggressive manner.

"We know the Pakistani government was not serious in offering peace talks, as a military operation has been launched against the Taliban with its approval," said Shahid.

"Any foreigner who chose to remain in Pakistan would only have themselves to blame. I, on behalf of the TTP, would like to warn all foreigners, airlines, and multinational companies to leave Pakistan. [If they don't] they will have only themselves to blame for damage caused to their properties or staff," he added.

"The TTP is ready to face the military, since we understood that sooner or later, this would happen. We are prepared for battle," Shahid told Newsweek by phone from an undisclosed location.

"But this time our fighters will bring the battle inside the territory of Pakistan and our prime target will be foreigners, multinational companies and airlines, along with Pakistani government installations," he added.

"We were always ready [for talks], but they [government] never was, and never will be," he said.