'It does not matter if US blacklists Pak Taliban'

Amid increasing pressure from the Obama administration to blacklist the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Azam Tariq, the militant organisation's key spokesperson has said that "it makes no difference if the Americans blacklist the TTP or not, our war against the Jews and their 'friends' will remain forever".

Four American senators on Tuesday said that they would introduce a bill requiring to the state department to designate the TTP as a foreign terrorist organisation.

Speaking to rediff.com from an undisclosed location, Azam Tariq said, "We have already blacklisted the Jews. It makes no difference if America blacklists Pakistani Taliban or not."

Talking about the 33 missing Pakistani soldiers in Mehmand Agency, Tariq warned, "We've offered the Pakistani government for a prisoner swap in return for the kidnapped soldiers. They are in our custody and if the government did not respond timely, the soldiers would be killed one by one."