Pakistani border sees re-emergence of Taleban-style justice

ISLAMABAD - BARBERS are afraid to shave customers' chins, alleged thieves with blackened faces are paraded through the streets in shame and suspected spies for the United States are found beheaded in a ditch.

Tales of Taleban-style justice in Pakistani border regions are proliferating - a sign that an area already serving as a base for militants fighting in neighbouring Afghanistan is slipping further out of government control.

This week, the United States voiced growing concern that Al-Qaeda was re-grouping in the area. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's recent strategy of seeking peace with pro-Taleban tribesmen appears to have backfired.

'The pro-Taleban militants are making their presence felt in some very ugly ways,' said Ms Samina Ahmed, South Asia director for the Brussels-based International Crisis Group think-tank. 'They seem to be dictating the agenda.'

Residents of Miran Shah, the main town in Pakistan's North Waziristan area and a militant stronghold, say the Taleban runs an office where inhabitants can file complaints and receive a quick ruling based on Islamic law from a 10-member committee.

The committee has reputedly dealt with family feuds and seized suspected thieves.

Shopkeepers say three men accused of stealing cars were driven through jeering crowds in the nearby town of Mir Ali last week, their faces blackened and heads shaved.

Further north, several barbers in the Bajur district recently said they would no longer shave customers' beards after receiving a warning that it was 'un-Islamic' and being threatened with unspecified punishment.

More ominous were the cases of scores of people who were accused of being aligned with Pakistan's government or being foreign agents, and were later found shot or beheaded, their bodies dumped beside country roads.

In the latest such incident, a teacher's body was found on Tuesday in a sack on a roadside in South Waziristan.

A note found with the corpse identified the slain man as 'Akhtar Usman, the one who spied for America'. The word 'hypocrite' was scrawled on the temple of his severed head in Urdu, Pakistan's main language.

There is little indication that the authorities are willing or able to confront such developments in an area steeped in Islamic radicalism since it was a base for the mujahideen war against Soviet troops in Afghanistan in the 1980s.

Taleban fighters and Al-Qaeda militants - including Arabs and Central Asians - poured into Pakistan's rugged border zone in 2001 and 2002 as US-led forces drove them from Afghanistan. They found refuge in the fortress-like houses of sympathetic tribes and Afghan refugee communities.

Under US pressure, General Musharraf sent his army into the semi-autonomous tribal areas for the first time in Pakistan's 60-year history to pursue the militants.

Hundreds were killed on both sides in scores of operations in the tribal belt, mostly since 2004.

Gen Musharraf then changed tack.

A peace deal struck with North Waziristan last September demanded that the militants stop attacks in Afghanistan and halt 'Talebanisation' in return for Pakistani troops moving out of towns such as Miran Shah while retaining a presence at the border.

A peace agreement was also signed with South Waziristan in 2005.

But tribal elders who acted as guarantors for the North Waziristan deal appeared powerless to enforce it. Even Gen Musharraf has acknowledged that some of his security forces have been turning a blind eye to militant infiltration.

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Results

BASKETBALL

NBA: Philadelphia 99 Phoenix 94, Miami 92 Washington 83, Boston 102 New York 94, Toronto 106 Houston 90, Utah 104 Memphis 88, Chicago 113 Golden State 83, New Orleans 107 Atlanta 100, Denver 111 Orlando 101, Sacramento 135 Charlotte 120, LA Clippers 96 Seattle 91.

ICE HOCKEY

NHL: Ottawa 2 Carolina 0, Calgary 2 Minnesota 1 (o.p.), Nashville 4 San Jose 3 (o.p.).

SOCCER

Dutch Cup, q-finals: Utrecht 1 AZ Alkmaar 2, RKC Waalwijk 1 Roda JC Kerkrade 0, NAC Breda 3 PSV Eindhoven 0, Willem II Tilburg 0 Ajax Amsterdam 2.

English FA, 5th rd replay: Blackburn 1 Arsenal 0.

French Cup, q-finals: Sochaux 2 Paris St Germain 1, FC Montceau Bourgogne 1 Racing Lens 0.

German Cup, q-finals: Nuremberg 0 Hannover 0 (Nuremberg win 4-2 on penalties), Wolfsburg 2 Alemannia Aachen 0, Kickers Offenbach 0 Eintracht Frankfurt 3, Stuttgart 2 Hertha Berlin 0.

Scottish Cup, 5th rd: Motherwell 1 St Johnstone 2.

Spanish King's Cup q-finals, 2nd leg: Real Zaragoza 1 Barcelona 2 (2-2 on aggregate. Barcelona win on away goal rule), Osasuna 1 Getafe 0 (Getafe win 3-1 on aggregate), Real Valladolid (II) 1 Deportivo La Coruna 1 (Deportivo win 5-2), Real Betis 0 Sevilla 1 (match abandoned after 56 minutes).

TENNIS

Acapulco International - Men, 1st rd: Gaston Gaudio (Arg) bt Juan Pablo Guzman (Arg) 1-6 6-3 6-2, Nicolas Almagro (Esp) bt Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo (Esp) 6-1 4-6 7-6 (7-2), Jose Acasuso (Arg) bt Jiri Vanek (Cze) 6-1 6-2, Juan Carlos Ferrero (Esp) bt Lukas Dlouhy (Cze) 6-3 7-6(2). Women, 1st rd: Tathiana Garbin (Ita) bt Zsofia Gubacsi (Hun) 6-4 3-0 (ret), Gisela Dulko (Arg) bt Laura Pous (Esp) 7-6(2) 7-6(7), Julia Schruff (Ger) bt Marion Bartoli (Fra) 6-0 6-4, Melissa Torres (Mex) bt Eva Birnerova (Cze) 6-4 6-2, Alize Cornet (Fra) bt Severine Bremond (Fra) 7-6(3) 6-2, Sara Errani (Ita) bt Kaia Kanepi (Est) 1-6 6-3 6-4, Emilie Loit (Fra) bt Martina Mueller (Ger) 6-2 6-2, Flavia Pennetta (Ita) bt Roberta Vinci (Ita) 6-0 6-2.

ATP Dubai Open, 2nd rd: Rafael Nadal (Esp) bt Igor Andreev (Rus) 6-2 3-6 7-6(2), Roger Federer (Sui) bt Daniele Bracciali (Ita) 7-5 6-3, Olivier Rochus (Bel) bt Nikolay Davydenko (Rus) 4-6 6-4 6-2, Novak Djokovic (Scg) bt Rainer Schuettler (Ger) 7-6(5) 6-3, Mikhail Youzhny (Rus) bt Tomas Berdych (Cze) 7-6 (6) 6-3, Tommy Haas (Ger) bt Florent Serra (Fra) 7-6 (5) 6-3, Robin Soederling (Swe) bt Dominik Hrbaty (Svk) 6-3 7-5, Fabrice Santoro (Fra) bt Gilles Simon (Fra) 6-4 6-2.

ATP Las Vegas Open - Group 2: Sam Querrey (USA) bt Julien Benneteau (Fra) 6-2 7-6(3). Gp 3: Juergen Melzer (Aut) bt Michael Llodra (Fra) 6-4 2-6 7-5. Gp 4: Benjamin Becker (Ger) bt Gustavo Kuerten (Bra) 6-4 6-3. Gp 5: Fernando Verdasco (Esp) bt Danai Udomchoke (Tha) 6-1 5-7 6-2. Gp 6: Igor Kunitsyn (Rus) bt Stefan Koubek (Aut) 6-2 6-2. Gp 7: Feliciano Lopez (Esp) bt Nicolas Mahut (Fra) 3-6 6-3 7-6(3).

WTA Qatar Open, 2nd rd: Daniela Hantuchova (Svk) bt Eleni Daniilidou (Gre) 6-7(4) 6-3 6-3, Jelena Jankovic (Ser) bt Maria Elena Camerin (Ita) 6-0 6-1, Martina Hingis (Sui) bt Maria Kirilenko (Rus) 6-2 6-2, Katerina Bondarenko (Ukr) w/o Sania Mirza (Ind), Justine Henin (Bel) bt Alicia Molik (Aus) 6-2 7-6(9), Francesca Schiavone (Ita) bt Mara Santangelo (Ita) 4-6 7-6(6) 1-0 (ret), Svetlana Kuznetsova (Rus) bt Julia Goerges (Ger) 7-5 6-1, Patty Schnyder (Sui) bt Anabel Medina Garrigues (Esp) 6-3 6-4.

James' shooting wins it for Cavs

ONE big, back-breaking shot was not going to bail out the Cavaliers.

So LeBron James made another.

He dropped two crucial three-pointers in the last minute to help Cleveland beat New Orleans 97-89 in a National Basketball Association game on Tuesday.

James, who finished with 35 points, knocked down a 25-footer from the top of the key with 49.9 seconds left, and then nailed another three-pointer from nearly the same spot with 24.2 seconds remaining.

The Hornets' defensive strategy down the stretch was to force James to take the toughest shots possible.

They were able to do that, but what they did not bank on was James making them anyway.

'We got what we wanted,' Hornets forward David West said.

'He took a three-pointer with a hand in his face. He just knocked it down. We know he's going to take the shot.

'You've got to live with him hitting a 27-footer or whatever it was he hit.'

Cleveland improved to 14-8 against Western Conference teams - the top mark among Eastern squads.

The Hornets have lost six straight in Cleveland.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

No cash, so no plans for throwers

THE Singapore Athletic Association asked for their training and competition programmes. They, in turn, countered: Show us the money.

Choo Chee Kiong, the spokesman for Zhang Guirong and Du Xianhui, yesterday confirmed that the two national throwers will not be submitting any plans to the SAA.

Said Choo, a local freelance coach: 'How can they submit their plans if there is no guarantee of financial assistance? Who will pay for their competitions and training?'

Added Zhang, who is in Shandong: 'How can I focus on my training when I have to worry about basic necessities such as food and housing?'

The national record-holder for the discus, shot put and javelin, the 28-year-old and Du will continue training on their own in China.

Last month, the duo asked for a resumption of funding.

This was stopped at their request last July. They felt that accepting the training grants put them under enormous pressure - from the public and the media - to deliver.

The association used to pay them $1,500 each a month. They also received $900 a month food allowance and free accommodation.

Last October, they were dropped from the Asian Games squad after failing to provide their China address.

Meanwhile, athletes eyeing December's South-east Asia Games in Thailand will have to perform consistently throughout the year.

They will no longer be considered for nomination based on just one performance - even if they qualify.

Said Chan Chee Wei, the SAA vice-president for training and selection: 'This is to ensure that our athletes aren't just one-hit wonders.'

The benchmark for qualification is still the bronze medal-winning performance at the previous Games.

In another move, retired athletes who want to make a comeback will now have to give a year's notice.

Said Chan: 'This is to ensure that all athletes are available for out-of-competition drug testing during the season, which is a requirement by the International Association of Athletics Federations.'

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Gerrard knows Liverpool's job is not done yet

BARCELONA - STEVEN Gerrard will not underestimate Barcelona ahead of their Champions League second-leg match at Anfield on March 6.

The Reds claimed the upper hand in the last-16 tie with a 2-1 win at the Nou Camp on Wednesday.

Liverpool are in a strong position to qualify, but Gerrard told Sky Sports: 'We've got an awful lot of respect for Barcelona, they're a fantastic side.

'We'll show them the same respect.

'We need to put in the same shift in two weeks' time and, hopefully, we'll qualify.'

However, overturning the deficit is maybe more than Barcelona are capable of.

They have never recovered from a first-leg loss at home in the Champions League.

In fact, they have only once overturned a first-leg deficit at home - beating Zaragoza 4-2 in the 1966 Fairs' Cup final after a 0-1 loss.

'It will be hard to go through, but we still have a great chance. Just as they won here, we can win there,' goalkeeper Victor Valdes said.

Coach Frank Rijkaard said: 'We have to keep on working, keep training, and trying to improve. That's what I'm most concerned about.

'We have to get through this suffering together and look forward.'

Barcelona have had a tough time in big games this season. They lost 0-3 to Uefa Cup champions Sevilla in the Super Cup in August. Then, they were beaten 0-1 by Chelsea in the Champions League group stage.

Real Madrid added to their woes with a 2-0 win in the league. Copa Libertadores champions Internacional downed Barcelona 1-0 in the final of the Club World Cup in December.

Wednesday's loss came only three days after Valencia beat them 2-1 in La Liga.

'Right now, the situation is complicated but we have hope,' Rijkaard said.

'We are Barca and we can always score goals. The situation is very difficult, but we mustn't give up hope.'

Barcelona started well on Wednesday, getting a 14th-minute goal from Deco.

But Craig Bellamy responded with a header in the 43rd minute, which was mishandled by Valdes.

The Welshman then set up teammate John Arne Riise in the 74th minute for the winning goal.

Incidentally, Bellamy's golf-swing celebration after his goal cost bookmakers William Hill more than £50,000 (S$150,000).

He had allegedly threatened Riise with a golf club.

After offering odds of 100-1 that the striker would make light of the recent fracas, William Hill were hit with a flood of bets.

ASSOCIATED PRESS