Taliban Release Chinese Hostage, Agree To 10 Day Cease Fire In Swat Valley of Pakistan

Well, here we go again - a whole day after I blogged about how the Pakistani President had admitted that they had underestimated the intentions of the Taliban and were in serious trouble because of it, the Pakistani government sat down with Taliban leaders in Swat and worked out a 10 day cease fire - of course, everyone in the whole world knows that 10 day peace period is needed for the Taliban to rearm their fighters, nurse their wounds, restock their supply lines and form new battle plans. As a "good will gesture", the Taliban released a Chinese hostage because of the talks. I'll get into that after we look at some of the details from the article here at Breitbart:

The Taliban announced a 10-day cease-fire in Pakistan's Swat Valley on Sunday after freeing a Chinese hostage during peace talks with the government, while an abducted American threatened with imminent death by his kidnappers remained missing.
Past peace deals with militants, including in Swat, have failed, and any agreement this time could re-spark U.S. criticism that the talks merely give insurgents time to regroup and rearm. Pakistan's government, however, insists that it cannot rely on force alone to defeat the al-Qaida and Taliban fighters in its regions bordering Afghanistan.
Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan called the release of Chinese engineer Long Xiaowei a goodwill gesture as government officials and a group linked to the Swat insurgents said they had come to terms on introducing elements of Islamic law in Swat and surrounding areas.
"In view of these developments, we announce a unilateral cease-fire for 10 days, but we reserve the right to retaliate if we are fired upon," Khan told The Associated Press.

Okay, so these are the same Taliban that killed the Polish hostage Piotr Stanczak just last week and who continue to hold an American U.N. worker but all of a sudden the Taliban decide to release the Chinese hostage. Why is that? Was there such a tremendous effort expended in these peace talks that the Taliban felt all full of compassion in releasing the Chinese captive? Yeah right.

The reason the Taliban released the Chinese hostage is simple - they don't want the likes of the Chinese army getting involved in Pakistan. The Taliban's worst fear is about 150,000 Chinese soldiers swarming over one of the mountain ranges of the Swat Valley cutting down the Taliban like a ripe field of grain. The Taliban simply FEAR the Chinese. And the Taliban do NOT fear the West.

Taliban to cease fire in Pakistan's Swat Valley

ISLAMABAD (AP) - The Taliban announced a 10-day cease-fire in Pakistan's Swat Valley on Sunday after freeing a Chinese hostage during peace talks with the government, while an abducted American threatened with imminent death by his kidnappers remained missing.
Past peace deals with militants, including in Swat, have failed, and any agreement this time could re-spark U.S. criticism that the talks merely give insurgents time to regroup and rearm. Pakistan's government, however, insists that it cannot rely on force alone to defeat the al-Qaida and Taliban fighters in its regions bordering Afghanistan.
Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan called the release of Chinese engineer Long Xiaowei a goodwill gesture as government officials and a group linked to the Swat insurgents said they had come to terms on introducing elements of Islamic law in Swat and surrounding areas.
"In view of these developments, we announce a unilateral cease-fire for 10 days, but we reserve the right to retaliate if we are fired upon," Khan told The Associated Press.
Regaining Swat, a former tourist haven, is a major test for Pakistan's shaky civilian leaders. Unlike the semiautonomous tribal regions where al-Qaida and Taliban have long thrived, the valley is supposed to fall fully under government control.
Meanwhile, a string of attacks on foreigners—including the apparent beheading of a Polish geologist—have underscored the deteriorating overall security in the country.
On Friday, the kidnappers of American U.N. official John Solecki threatened to kill him within 72 hours and issued a 20-second video of the blindfolded captive saying he was "sick and in trouble." U.N. officials said Sunday they were still trying to establish contact with the gunmen who seized Solecki on Feb. 2 in Quetta, a southwestern city near the Afghan border.
The kidnappers have identified themselves as members of the previously unknown Baluchistan Liberation United Front, indicating a link to separatists rather than to Islamists. The captors have demanded the release of 141 women allegedly held in Pakistan, but Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik has denied that the women are being held.
Baluchistan provincial government spokesman Syed Kamran said it was offering a $31,363 reward "for any information leading to the recovery of the kidnapped U.N. official."
Earlier this month, Polish geologist Piotr Stanczak was apparently beheaded by Islamist militants in a video obtained earlier this month by news media and believed by the Polish government to be authentic. If confirmed, it would be the first killing of a Western hostage in Pakistan since American journalist Daniel Pearl was beheaded in 2002.
Pakistani government officials could not immediately be reached for comment on the announced cease-fire. Nor would any comment on whether a ransom was paid or militants were freed in exchange for the Chinese captive's release Saturday.
Long's freedom was secured days before a planned visit to China by Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.
He and fellow telecommunications engineer Zhang Guo were kidnapped in August in the Dir region of northwestern Pakistan. They both escaped in mid-October, but Long hurt his ankle and was recaptured, while Zhang got away, China's state-run Xinhua News Agency said.
Long was in good condition Sunday and expected to return to China after a medical checkup, China's Foreign Ministry said. Chinese officials gave no details on whether money was paid or militants freed for Long's retrieval.