Peshawar: Two teenage girls, who claimed that
they had been prepared by the Taliban for conducting suicide
attacks, were today introduced to the media by Pakistani
authorities in the restive Swat valley.
The girls, identified only as Rabia (16) and Arifa (14),
were clad in burqas and veils.
They said they had committed the "biggest mistake of
their life" by volunteering for suicide missions with the
banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Swat led by radical cleric Maulana
Fazlullah.
Rabia, a student of Class 7, and Arifa, a student of
Class 6, belong to a village in the scenic Madyan valley,
which was a Taliban stronghold till the army launched an
operation against the militants last year.
The girls said they were impressed by sermons broadcast
on illegal FM radio channels by Taliban leaders, including
Fazlullah, and decided to become suicide bombers.
They claimed they had then "registered" their names with
the local unit of the Taliban.
They told reporters that they had been made to believe
that they would go straight to heaven after carrying out
suicide attacks.
They added that they changed their minds when they learnt
that the Taliban were destroying schools and public
infrastructure.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, January 09, 2010, 23:02